


Fate Is Sealed

by randomfandomimagine



Series: Fate Is Sealed [1]
Category: John Wick (Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, Assassins & Hitmen, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Revenge, Slow Burn, Survival, Swearing, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-03-17 05:05:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18958456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine
Summary: Elizabeth Dawson's destiny is somehow intertwined with John Wick's. Their first encounter, although unconventional, will change both their lives forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [We're Even](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18929266) by [randomfandomimagine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomfandomimagine/pseuds/randomfandomimagine). 



> Thank you for reading! As every time I write something as long, I get a little insecure about it, but I'm still very excited about this series. Forgive me if I make any mistakes writing, since English is my second language. If you're liking it, please leave kudos and/or a comment! ❤ I hope you all enjoy this series! Also, in honor of the great Keanu Reeves (love that guy) I included references to Matrix and Speed, see if you get them and comment if you do! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also check it out on Tumblr, please give it some love there too:   
> https://randomfandomimagine.tumblr.com/post/185269069557/fate-is-sealed-john-x-oc-john-wick-fanfiction

I was running out of patience with these assholes. They wrecked my car, wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone and then that. They’d see.

Bam, another hit. Closing my eyes tight, I took a deep breath to try and assimilate all the adrenaline pulsing through my veins.

“Where the fuck is my money?”

“I don’t have it”

“You don’t…”

“Fuck off” I looked away and spit out the blood that was accumulating in my mouth. “If I had it, I wouldn’t be here letting you beat the shit out of me”

Gaige ‘Smiling’ Stoakes smirked, and I grimaced at the gesture. If you happened to be tricked into thinking his smile was lively and friendly, you were in for a nasty surprise.

“What are you gonna do with her then, boss?” Dominic asked him, still watching everything.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they found some sort of twisted satisfaction in witnessing this. Gaige’s other two goons, Delfino and Simone, were still there as well.

I stirred in the chair, uncomfortable in that position as my hands were tightly stuck behind my back. After receiving so many punches, I was weak and exhausted and basically sunk in my seat. My vision was a little blurry as well.

“I dunno…” Gaige replied to Dominic, serenely bringing a hand up to comb his dark hair. “Maybe teach her a lesson”

While they all had amused expression on their faces, it was Simone who took a step forward. She cracked her knuckles and set her heavy brown eyes on their boss.

“Go ‘head” Gaige turned around, then glancing at the other two. “You, come with me. And you, stay here and watch that one doesn’t try anything”

Appreciating the breather, I tried to settle down my heartbeat and accommodate my quick breathing pattern into a calmer one. My eyes followed Delfino as he walked after the boss, at his orders, and Dominic stayed with Simone and me.

“Well” She dedicated me a shit-eating grin. “Where do we start?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but before any words could leave it, she had crossed my face with her fist. I took a few seconds to recover from the violent hit and glared back at her. That hurt more than usual.

“Bitch” I muttered, watching the brass knuckles that suddenly covered her hand.

I could feel the wounds forming all around my face, the impact of her punch burning in the skin of my cheek, eyebrow and temple.

“Oh, Lizzie” Simone sarcastically said as she took me by the hair and tilted my head back. “What a shame… I hate to do this to you”

“Don’t lie” I still glared at her, speaking through grit teeth. “And don’t call me that”

“This would all be over if you paid” Dominic said behind Simone just as she let go of me. “That’s all we want”

I bowed my head down in exhaustion. However, I wriggled my hands in the handcuffs, trying to reach my sleeve.

“And I’d be happy to comply” I lifted my eyes to meet with theirs, trying not to arise any suspicion as I took the paper clip tucked in my sleeve. “But five grand is a bit much to ask”

“Then you shouldn’t have put yourself in this situation on the first place”

I rolled my eyes, refusing to fall into her trap. I pursed my lips and focused all my efforts in twisting the clip and introducing the end on the small hole in one of the handcuffs.

It was hard to ignore the pain and exhaustion, but I pushed through just out of spite against Simone. And against that other douchebag too while we were at it.

“Or maybe Gaige should just forget about the stupid debt”

As I expected, Simone let out a sarcastic chuckle, loud enough to cover the low satisfying click of the handcuffs. I turned my wrist in a sharp movement and freed myself from it.

Now or never.

I stood up at top speed and punched Simone in the throat while she was distracted. She immediately fell to her knees, gasping for air as she clutched her neck. Then I kicked Dominic in the balls and ran as fast as I could, swinging the door open.

I found myself in a room full of mobsters that turned their heads towards the running young woman who still carried one of the handcuffs wrapped around her wrist.

“Get her!” Yelled a mixture of voices.

“Shit” I tried to make a run for it, managing to make it through for a few meters.

It wasn’t long before a pair of hands amongst the sea of arms that tried to reach me actually took ahold of me. I squirmed, shouting and kicking in a desperate attempt to break free from the arms that took me from behind and lifted me off the ground.

“Let me go! Let go of me!!”

“We got a runner” I heard Gaige’s unmistakable voice and soon I saw that pair of calculating brown eyes set on me.

“What are you gonna do?” I said between ragged breaths. “Kill me? Then you won’t get your money”

“I have a better idea” There came his treacherous smile. “You’re gonna do me a favor”

An unsettling silence established in the room. My eyes frantically darted from him to the others present in the room. The rest of them had gone back to their business now that the interruption was taken care of, except for the three usual lapdogs as the other two reunited with their friends.

“I’ll settle the debt…” When Gaige spoke, I perked up at the possibility of living with that freedom. “If you solve some business for me”

“You can’t mean…” Delfino muttered behind me as he set me back on the floor.

“Great idea, boss” Simone’s wide grin was definitely a bad omen.

Dominic left the room, too busy swearing under his breath and driving his hands to his head in outrage. I watched the scene in confusion, and my stomach churned in anticipation. Gaige’s twisted smile only worsened my unease.

 

 

The Continental, a sight for sore eyes. I hadn’t been there in a long time, and even if I always felt more comfortable in the safety of my own home, I knew there I could rest until I recovered.

It was a huge effort to even get the heavy door open and dragging myself through the lobby to speak to Charon. The sight of the elegant marble floors was almost exhilarating, as well as the familiar face of the receptionist.

“Miss Dawson” Charon looked me up and down, tranquil as usual despite my terrible state. “Busy night?”

“More like a rough one” I leaned my arms on the counter, supporting my weight there and catching my breath.

“Would you like a room?” Charon slightly moved his glasses down to type on the computer.

“Yes, please” I shoved a hand in my pocket and pulled out a gold coin. My last one.

“Very well” Once he was done typing, he locked eyes with me again. “Shall I call the doctor?”

“No, that’s okay” I grunted as I pushed myself off the counter. “I can take care of these bruises myself”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I want to be alone”

“As you prefer. Please give me a call if you need anything”

“Thank you”

He slid the keys over the counter and I took them, looking forward to lying down. I moved slowly, since with every step my whole body ached with the aftermaths of the beating. But I headed to my room in peace, with the comforting knowledge that the Continental was a safe haven.

 

 

My hands shook as I closed the door behind me, setting my eyes on the hotel bed but barely watching it. Evoking the events of the day and their consequences felt utterly draining. Suddenly feeling exhausted just at the mere concept of pursuing this mission, I plopped down in the bed and blankly observed the ceiling.

I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sleep, pretending like what happened never occurred. Still, I knew I probably should take care of my wounds and bruises first, even if they weren’t life threatening.

Waiting a few more seconds until my legs felt capable of holding my weight again, I pushed myself off the bed and to my feet. A groan escaped my lips, my sore muscles and bruises sending a collective complaint, as I forced myself to go into the bathroom.

I positioned myself before the sink and held my hands around it for support. I weakly reached up to open the mirror and grabbed the contents from the first aid kit.

Observing my image in the mirror, I feebly worked to cover all my bruises. First the long cuts along my cheek. Then my eyebrow. And my temple. And my jaw. Fuck.

“What a mess…” I whispered, watching my reflection once I was done.

My face was now covered in plasters, with blood subtly seeping through the material.

I bowed my head down as that damn thought popped up in my brain again. I had to accept my destiny. I needed to do what Gaige told me to, I had no choice.

I had to kill John Wick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, hopefully you liked the first chapter :) More action in the next one, as well as some actual interactions with John.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying it, feel free to leave a comment, I would love to read some opinions :)

The air was hot and heavy as I walked into the garage, contrasting with the cool breeze from outside. I spotted the man I was looking for and walked towards him.

“Hey, Aurelio” I greeted him, causing him to turn around to me.

“Elizabeth!” He grinned at the sight of me, but it vanished when I got closer. “Shit, what happened to you?”

“The usual” I muttered, letting him hold my chin up to analyze the damage.

“Fuck, you look terrible”

t

“Thanks, now will you forget about it?”

“Want me to get someone for you?”

“Just please, forget about it”

“Fine… What brings you here, love?”

“Watch it” I told him half-jokingly, knowing how much he liked to tease me. “How’s my baby?”

“Well, that bike was pretty fucked up when you brought it” He motioned for me to follow him further into the car garage. “Art takes time”

“It’s not art, it’s a repair” I chuckled, already excited when I saw my motorbike right there. "Besides, it’s not my fault that those dicks rammed into it”

“I think I don’t actually want to know what happened”

“That’s right, you don’t”

“Anyway, I still need more time. You still have the car I lent you, right?”

“Yup”

“That’ll have to do for now”

“Hey, are you busy? I need to talk about something”

“Sure thing” He walked to a small table and invited me to sit down, so I did. “Want something to drink?”

I laughed a little even if his words made me roll my eyes. No matter how many times he asked, he didn’t get tired of his little joke.

“No, Aurelio” I punched him in the arm as he sat down in the seat across from me. “I don’t want a drink”

“So what’s up?”

“I need info”

“About what”

“About… John Wick”

The smirk immediately erased from his lips at the mention of that name. He paused, frowning, and sat up straight in the chair. Then he licked his lips before he spoke again.

“Why?” He eyed me cautiously, with a new darkness in his expression.

“I need to kill him” I cringed at how stupid that sentence sounded.

“Do you have a fucking death wish, Elizabeth?!” Aurelio shouted, nearly standing from his seat in outrage.

“No, I have no choice!” I threw my arms up in the air in exasperation. 

Aurelio vehemently shook his head as he muttered something under his breath. I blankly watched him when he slammed his hand against the table in frustration.

After a brief pause in which he mouthed what clearly were swearwords, he made eye contact with me. He bore a serious expression I hardly ever got to see in them.

“I can tell you about him” He heaved a vexed sigh. “But it’s your funeral…”

“Just… tell me” I gulped, but acquired a calm expression nonetheless. “That’s all I ask”

Aurelio paused to gather his thoughts, dedicating me a grave glance. Like I needed a reminder of how much of a bad idea it was…

“Well, he’s known as the Boogeyman” My friend began, but I held a hand up to shush him.

“Yeah, yeah, I know” I closed my hand into a fist and made a stabbing motion in the air. “And he killed three people in a bar with a fucking pencil, I’m aware”

“That’s right”

“Can’t you tell me something useful?”

“Let me think…” Annoyingly slowly, he tapped a finger against his chin, without a doubt to wind me up. “ _He’s_ going to kill you”

I tiredly glared at him, trying to convey how I was not in the mood at all. Aurelio rolled his eyes and crossed his hands over the table.

“Did you hear about his wife?”

“Not really” I had heard a lot of things about John Wick, but they usually belonged to the legend side of him. I knew zero information about the man other than his name.

“She died, like not that long ago” Aurelio sighed once more, this time sadly. “And some Russian brat stole his car and killed his dog”

“I guess that guy is dead now”

“You guess right”

I passed a hand through my hair to hide the shiver that took over my spine just imagining myself in that guy’s shoes. Sneaking a quick glance at the tattoo on the inside of my arm, I reminded myself that if for some miracle I managed to accomplish the deed, people would respect the person who could outwit John Wick. It was all part of my stupid optimistic attitude to try and deceive myself, but still. He was just a man after all.

“You really have to be in some deep shit to even be considering this” Aurelio’s voice got me out of my thoughts.

Honestly, I had no idea what my options were. Live this torture in which Gaige’s goons kept pestering me, try to kill the scariest man I had ever heard of or… I don’t know, fucking change my name and escape to Guatemala.

“Wish I could, Lisa” My friend’s hand suddenly falling on my shoulder made me jump a bit. “But I can’t help you go after him”

“I get it” I sighed, standing up from the chair.

“Good luck, pal” He went to hug me, energetically patting my back.

“Thanks…” I cut the hug short, knowing what his words truly meant.

Before he could say anything else, I turned around to avoid any awkward conversations. I just left the garage with an empty feeling, since my visit was useless.

No one could help me, everyone else would be just as scared to be the possible culprit of John Wick’s demise. Especially since it was likely that my attempt would be unsuccessful and would only earn his contempt and desire for revenge. I wouldn’t root for myself either if I were them.

 

 

The first time I saw John Wick in person was outside the Continental. I watched him for days, trying to learn about his routine, habits and movements. Just anything that would prove useful to bring him down.

Like all the days before that, I was sitting inside the car just outside the hotel. I shook my head and laughed at the absurdity of it all. As soon as he’d sense danger, I would be dead. It would be that fast. My mind went through all the worst case scenarios, imagining all the different tools he could use to neutralize the threat.

I slapped my hands against the steering wheel, trying to remind myself that none of that would happen. Not if I stayed away from him. It was cowardly, but I had a chance from a distance. I had a plan.

There he was. As soon as I spotted him, I hurriedly left the car.

John Wick exited the building, wearing a suit with a black shirt and tie. It matched with my all black outfit, which would hopefully blend into the darkness of the night.

I mentally went through his usual itinerary. He was supposed to go get his car, which he always parked in the proximity of the hotel. Not too close but not too far.

As he passed by, his eyes landed on me as I casually leaned on my car. I froze, but decided to look back at him to avoid arising any suspicion. He didn’t even speak, he only nodded his head at me as a greeting. I reciprocated the gesture, figuring he recognized my face from when I seldom stayed at the lobby to keep an eye on him.

Pretending I was sheltering myself from the cold, I put my hood on and waited for him to continue walking. Once he was far away enough to follow him but not to lose him, I started walking.

I gulped as my boots rhythmically hit the ground. Every step seemed to match up with my heart beat as both paces quickened. As I walked, I rested my hand in the small pouch that tightly wrapped around my thigh. My fingers trembled as they silently opened the bag and landed on the gun.

My eyes never left him as he advanced through an alleyway. I gasped, however, when he turned around and I got a better look at him. His hair was combed back, allowing me a full view of his dark brown eyes. That sight alone chilled me to the bone, recognizing the disappointment, anger and fierceness in them.

Aware of my obvious intentions, he lunged at me. I panicked and took ahold of the gun, wielding it with both hands and pointing it at him. That didn’t stop him at all.

He was a mere two meters away from me already, and I was sure he would kill me as soon as he lay his hands on me. At least I was smart enough to ambush him before he could make it to the car and get his weapons.

A scream got stuck in my throat as I pulled the trigger, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. The tranquilizer dart protruded from his neck, and he lifted his hands to touch it in confusion.

Improvising since I wasn’t supposed to be discovered, I tried to reach out to the actual gun hidden in my belt, covered by the length of the hoodie I was wearing. But John Wick had resumed walking, adamant on unleashing his fury on me.

My brain sent the order to my legs to move, to dodge whatever attack he was going to lead with. But I froze, because John Wick was about to kill me and I was paralyzed.

Time seemed to slow down as he lunged toward me. I noticed the dart stuck in his neck and I was impressed at how he was still standing, considering the huge dose the tranquilizer had. He grunted in anger as he tackled me to the ground, eliciting a groan to escape my lips as my back received the hard impact against the floor.

My instinct kicked in just as his hands wrapped around my throat and he began choking me. Before I could start feeling the lack of oxygen to my lungs, I quickly moved my legs so my thighs wrapped around his neck and squeezed as much as I could.

He grimaced, but didn’t release the pressure around my neck. The edges of my vision were becoming dark, so I shifted my posture to be able to squeeze his neck harder. It still didn’t stop him, and I was starting to feel drowsy from the lack of air.

I analyzed his expression, slightly proud at the fact that his face was turning red from the asphyxiation as well. But the dangerous look in his eyes, dripping unadulterated bloodlust, caused me to avert my gaze.

In a desperate attempt to free myself from his choke hold, I slammed my arm against his wrists. The first time it didn’t work, so I did it repeatedly and he still didn’t budge.

I gasped for breath and squirmed underneath him, but he was relentless. A part of me wanted to try and apologize, like that could somehow quench his desire for vengeance after I had tried to kill him. Him, John Wick.

Just when I thought I was about to pass out and die, his grip softened. I took a deep breath immediately, trying to fill my lungs with oxygen, only to be received with a violent coughing fit instead.

I released him from my own chokehold, allowing him to separate himself from me. My hand flew to my throat, still feeling the ghost of his strong hands as I massaged the sore spot.

John Wick stumbled backwards, clumsily feeling about trying to grasp the dart in his neck until he managed to pull it out. But the damage was done the moment it pierced his skin, and the sedative was now circulating through his body without remedy.

I didn’t move as I still lied there on the ground, breathing heavily and cautiously watching him. He started breathing heavily too, gritting his teeth.

Daring to sit up slightly, I waited to see what he did next. Much to my surprise, John Wick let out a shaky breath as his eyes rolled back into his skull and he collapsed face first onto the ground.

“No way…” I uttered, composing myself and slowly standing to my feet.

My entire body was trembling as I towered over him and stared at his unconscious form for several seconds. He lied face down, completely motionless except for the subtle movement of his breathing.

“Holy shit, I did it!” I breathed out, watching him in awe. Granted, I hadn’t actually finished the job. But I was proud that I had managed to survive an encounter with John Wick.

Now for the hard part.

I was still breathing heavily as I reached out for my handgun. Trying to ignore my arrhythmia, I cocked the gun and pointed it at his head. My index finger shook as it hovered over the trigger. Rolling my shoulders to calm myself, I wielded the weapon with both hands to stabilize my aim.

“Goddammit…” I whispered to myself, breathing heavily. “Come on!”

I could only see one side of his face, yet I was astonished to realize how vulnerable the Boogeyman looked at that moment. So helpless, so defenseless… So unlike him…

No, it would only be one moment. One movement of my finger and it all would be over. But even if the implications of that action instantly made me nauseous.

“I have no choice… I have no choice” I reminded myself, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Then why is this so hard?”

I couldn’t stop thinking that John Wick had never done anything to me. Of course, he had attacked me, but it had been in self-defense. Before that, he hadn’t been anything but nice to me. He had been almost friendly and cordial, saying hello to me even though we were strangers. And only because we saw each other every day around the Continental. Little did he know, I was planning his demise.

“Fuck it” I saved my gun and crouched down to turn him around. His body moved limply as I shoved him on his back.

Firstly lifting my head up to make sure no one was around to witness the scene, I took ahold of his arms and began dragging him. Being a tall and strong man, he was very heavy. I was glad I had meticulously planned for every eventuality and the warehouse wasn’t far from there.

 

 

Once I had settled John Wick in the chair, inside the abandoned warehouse, I took a breather. Leaning forward and patiently waiting until I caught my breath, I looked up at him. It felt like he could open his eyes any minute and jump at me again, like a supposedly dead villain in a bad horror movie.

Deciding to rest later, being it a priority to incapacitate him, I moved to stay behind him. Thoughts kept popping up in my head, telling me that he was faking and would take any opportunity to end me. That he was not unconscious but only buying time to finish what I started.

My heart thumped against my chest as I tied his hands behind his back, tight and secure, and tugged at them for good measure. Then I immediately positioned myself before him, not wanting to be anywhere near his reach.

His head was hanging forward, chin against his chest, and his hair covered his face. Nonetheless, I observed him with curiosity. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I had managed to capture the Boogeyman, that I was standing right before him.

To distract myself before I could be overwhelmed with emotions again, I pulled out my gun and made sure it was loaded. I shook my head, mentally lecturing myself, at the thought that my backup plan wasn’t the best. How would it help to abduct him if I couldn’t shoot at first?

I had convinced myself that it would be different if he was conscious. And if not, I had plans C and D. Following that conviction, I saved the gun and instead picked up the bucket full of water that was on the ground next to the chair.

Taking a deep breath beforehand, I threw the content of the bucket toward his face. He stirred, heavily lifting his head up and opening his eyes. Then he shook his head to get rid of the wet tufts of dark hair that stuck to his forehead and eyes.

I paused, waiting until he was lucid enough to do anything. He peered at me, brows furrowed for a moment until the recognition appeared on his dark eyes.

“You’re awake” I showed him a fake friendly smile. “Good”

His eyes, intelligent and dangerous, carefully traveled around the warehouse we were in. Then they landed on me, watching me in deep though, before he finally spoke up.

“Why are you doing this?” It was the first time I heard his gruff voice, and it sent a shiver down my spine. “Who are you working for?”

I lifted my chin to appear dignified, holding his piercing stare.

“Someone who has unfinished business with you”

“That could be anybody” He said with a humorless laugh.

I moved my hands to where my gun rested, knowing the sooner I finished this, the better. However, he piped up once more.

“What are you getting out of this, money?”

“I don’t want money”

“Everyone wants money” He spoke tiredly, like the whole situation was nothing but an inconvenience. “Why would you be any different?”

“Whatever you say” I feebly pointed my weapon at him once more.

“I was unconscious” He continued, not even looking at my gun. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

“Stop talking” I slowly said, resting the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

“You had the perfect chance to do it“ His eyes were cold and cunning as he watched me closely. “But I’m still alive”

“I said” I paused, crossing his face with my free fist. “Shut up”

John Wick was unimpressed as he recovered from the punch and reconnected his eyes with mine. The silence was dense as we glared daggers at each other.

“You’re afraid” He said through grit teeth, his rough voice dripping with hostility. “You couldn’t do it”

“You want to fuck around? Fine”

I punched him across the face once more, received with the familiar feeling of the adrenaline taking over. Another punch fell. And then another, and another, and another. My brain could only process the catharsis of the act instead of the brutality of it, or how unnecessary it all was. Or how I was only making him mad. And I couldn’t stop myself because I felt powerful for once.

Before I knew, I was struggling to breathe as I saw the results of my outburst. He was completely battered and his shirt was stained with blood. I had lost control, and there was now murder in John Wick’s eyes as a result.

I took a step back, clutching my fist as my knuckles burned in the aftermath.

“Who the hell are you?” When he spoke again like nothing had happened, his voice showcased sheer hatred. Another shiver ran down my spine.

“That’s… none of your business”

“I disagree. I think it _is_ my business”

“Is that a threat?”

We stared at each other, seizing each other up. Then, all of a sudden, he lunged forward in his chair and screamed at me. Even if he was still tied up, I took a step backward.

His dangerous gaze lingered on me, and I held it even if I was busy putting some order into my thoughts. After a brief pause, I pulled out my knife and pointed it at him.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to be threatening me, John Wick” I rested the edge of the knife against his cheek, but he didn’t bat an eye.

To test him, I moved the blade to his neck and slowly began pressing deeper into his throat. He didn’t falter, nor did he try to back up from the threat.

I sarcastically chuckled, even if my heart skipped a beat when I met with his glance. He wasn’t scared in the slightest, but it didn’t matter if he was or not.

“What are you gonna do to me?” His voice had acquired a new roughness, filled with contempt. “Kill me? You don’t have the guts”

“That’s it” I grunted, positioning myself behind him and angrily grabbing a handful of his hair, yanking his head backward as I put the knife against his neck, cutting him slightly. “Stop. Fucking. Talking”

“Or what?”

“Or” I menacingly whispered in his ear. “You’re gonna be sorry”

“Right” There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and I realized why too late.

Standing behind him I had made a terrible mistake. Proof of that was how his hand, still tied up, took ahold of my knee and sharply twisted it, causing me to scream in pain. I squirmed and kneeled down to try and alleviate the pressure of his grip. He took this to his advantage.

Giving that the knife wasn’t against his throat anymore, he pushed his head backwards until it collided with my nose. Then he stood up on the chair and pushed it against me, making me fall down with the force of the movement.

I promised myself not to freeze this time, frantically going for my gun. By the time I pointed it at him, he had crashed on top of the chair with his full weight. When he stood again, he carelessly unwrapped the loose ropes from his wrists. It fell to the ground along with the pieces of wood that survived from the impact. What a beast!

Feeling the imminent threat, I pulled the trigger before he could come any closer. Because I hadn’t aimed first, it landed on his right shoulder. He didn’t even stop, only wincing and groaning at the shot, and continued his advance to me.

I cocked the gun and prepared to fire again, but he kicked it from my hands. It slid on the ground, away from my reach. My heartbeat acquired a crazed pace as he went to retrieve it.

“Fuck” Feeling too shaky to stand, I shuffled backwards to try and escape.

The sight of John Wick wielding my gun and walking closer to me, pointing the weapon at my face, was the most terrifying thing I had witnessed in my entire life. Pure nightmare fuel.

I shut my eyes and tried to mentally prepare myself for death. I gulped when he deliberately elongated the psychological torture by taking his time shooting.

All I could comprehend at that moment was fear. How my chest was going to jump out of my chest if it didn’t stop beating like crazy. I was shaking so much that my hands against the ground stopped supporting me and my back fell against the ground. There was only one thought in my mind. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want to die!

I jolted up, gasping at the following sound. Something falling to the ground. I slowly opened one eye to see the gun there, not too far from me.

Puzzled, I looked up to John Wick. He was towering over me, watching me with so much disdain that I had to look away. None of us moved for what felt like minutes.

My mouth was completely dry. Tears burned in my eyes. My throat hurt.

“W-W-Why?” I managed to ask him, avoiding eye contact and doing my best to breathe.

“Consider it a rare showcase of mercy” He responded. “For not killing me”

I watched him with the corner of my eye. He put a hand against the bullet in his shoulder and turned around. He just left me there, shaking like a leaf, and walked away.

Covering my face with my hands, I sobbed as I reminded myself to breathe. I didn’t have any strength, so I just lied there until I recovered from the traumatic experience.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're enjoying, don't forget to leave kudos and/or comment if you'd like!

Not even the comforting warmth of the hot water could stop my shivering. After stumbling home in a daze, I thought a shower would help. But it really didn’t.

It didn’t matter that I had no choice, I had been stupid enough to try and kill the Boogeyman. I had to be grateful that for whatever reason he had decided to spare my life. Even if I had hesitated to take his, I was still shocked that he took mercy on me.

There I was, sitting at the edge of my bed, still wrapped in my towel. I heaved a shaky sigh and passed a hand through my damp hair. After letting my hand fall limply over my lap, I read the words etched in the inside of my forearm and laughed sarcastically.

After watching my tattoo, my eyes automatically darted to the framed photo in the shelf. I could almost taste the bitterness in my mouth at the sight of the family picture.

There was no exit. One way or another, I would die because of this life. Whether it was because of Gaige or now because of John Wick. Because I expected him to change his mind, to appear out of nowhere and finish what _I_ started.

Intrusive thoughts overwhelmed me again. The word ‘death’ kept resonating in my mind as a morbid reminder that it was my destiny. In this world, it almost always was.

I forced myself up to get out of my head, moving to the closet and picking up some clothes. I needed to go out, distract myself, take a walk. Get off my ass and do something.

Besides, I could use some fresh air. Maybe it would help me think of something to get out of this mess. If he hadn’t heard already, Gaige wouldn’t be satisfied with the results of his request. And then he would send those assholes after me again. For the time being, I decided to go to the Continental for a quick visit.

 

 

Unlike last time I stepped into the lobby and walked up to the reception, a feeling of dread took over me. The only comfort I found in that suddenly hostile environment was the familiar face behind the counter.

“Good morning” I greeted Charon, earning a polite nod from him.

“Hello, Miss Dawson. You look better than the last time we met” He smiled at me. “How may I help you today?”

“Um… Is John Wick staying here at the moment?”

“No, he isn’t. Would you like me to contact him?”

“No! No, that’s okay…”

“Anything else then?”

“Yeah. Could I, uh… See the manager, please?”

“Of course. He’s in the bar”

“Bar or club?”

“In the bar”

“Good” I didn’t have any coins to get into the club. “Thank you”

Charon nodded once more, and I headed for the bar to meet with Winston.

 

 

The bar was mostly empty other than two people sitting at a table at the other end of the room, as well as the bartender, who spoke to Winston as he sat at the bar.

Even if it wasn’t necessary, I tried to make myself heard as my boots resonated against the marble floor. Once I was close enough to Winston, who acknowledged me with a side glance, I sat at the high chair to his right.

“Hello, Winston” I calmly rested my elbows on the bar, idly letting my eyes wander around the many bottles of alcohol showcased in the shelves behind it.

“Elizabeth” Winston bowed his head as a greeting. “What can I do for you?”

“I need to work” I said, straight to the point. “Got anything for me?”

“Other than the Boogeyman?” He let out a sarcastic chuckle, shaking his head and proceeding to take a swig of his drink. “The balls on you, pal…”

“I see news travel fast” I stirred in my seat, but was determined to hold his glance. “Yeah, I was lucky to come out alive”

“Lucky? I would say it’s a miracle”

“Will you answer my question?”

“Why do you have to ask me for work? Don’t you get the notices like everyone else?”

“I’m not exactly an official member of the club, Winston…”

He gave me a thoughtful nod, probably knowing what I was talking about. Then he sighed, resting his chip atop his interlaced fingers. 

“I could always make a file for you” He offered, but before he even finished his sentence, I was shaking my head. “Just say the word”

“No, thank you” I lightly planted my hand on the bar, urging him to stay focused. “Just give me something”

“I might have something for you” Winston picked up his drink again, pausing to glance at me. “Would you be willing to do anything?”

“No” I vehemently shook my head. “Not anything”

“Then I have the perfect job for you” He finally pushed the glass against his lips. “You would only need to send a message”

“How much?” I asked, waiting until he downed the rest of his drink.

“Five coins” To demonstrate, he pulled them out of his pocket and showed them to me. “It isn’t worth more”

I eyed the gold coins in his palm, knowing how much I needed them. It wasn’t much, but it would help get me through for a little while. As long as I stayed low, I should be fine with five coins, keeping them for emergencies if I ever needed anything.

“Deal” I took them from his hand, clutching them in my closed fist.

“Good, I’ll text you the details” With Winston’s words, I assumed he was finished, so I stood up.

“And Elizabeth” He stopped me before I could leave. “Don’t let me down”

I firmly nodded as a silent promise that I wouldn’t and began walking away. Before I left the building behind, my phone buzzed with a new message. I opened it and read the details of my mission. Once I had the instructions memorized, I deleted the message and headed off.

 

 

Everything still smelt like smoke, and I was positive that the scent was now imbued to my clothes. My hair probably smelt like ashes as well, which made me grimace.

As I made it home, I thought I would have to take another shower. As soon as I set one foot inside, I walked upstairs to change my clothes and leave my weapons, relieved to be rid from their weight. With that done and once in my pijamas, I walked downstairs to the living room. The cold floor felt delightful against my bare feet, slowly riding me from all stress as I embraced the comforting feeling of being home. I had finished working, I could relax now.

Rid from the energies to take a shower right that moment, I plopped down in the couch and lingered in that position for a moment, not even bothering to turn the TV on or anything. Usually, the silence was unbearable, but right then it was just what I needed.

As if they knew that I had just arrived and wanted to bother my peace, a knock suddenly came to the door. I groaned in annoyance, wondering who the hell it could be. Aurelio, perhaps? Maybe he had finished fixing my motorbike. Or maybe it was just the mail man. One thing was for sure, I never got any visitors.

Feeling the exhaustion wash over me as I stood up, I dragged my feet to the front door. I paused to try and hear anything, but outside it was dead silent.

“Who is it?” I asked, reminding myself that I needed to get a door with a spyhole.

There was no answer in the other end, making me roll my eyes. If it was Aurelio playing a little prank on me, I was _not_ in the mood for it at that moment.

After a few seconds, the knock came again, and I resolved to just opening the stupid door. My heart stopped at the sight of the person standing there.

John Wick.

“No!” I shouted, trying to push the door closed once more.

Unimpressed, he planted a big hand against it and pushed it completely open. Seeing as he was coming inside and there was nothing I could do to avoid it, I tried to run upstairs to grab a gun. Anything to defend myself with.

Still deadly silent, John Wick took me by the arm and pushed me against the wall before I could even distance myself from him. A terrified scream found its way to my mouth, but his hand silenced the sound before it could echo around the house. He pressed his body against mine to immobilize me and kept his hand against my mouth, taking his gun with the hand that used to hold my arm. I cringed when he pressed the barrel of the gun against my head.

I shut my eyes tight and whimpered against his hand, finding my deepest fears to be true. He was back, and he was here to kill me. Death had found me.

“Here is how this is going to go” John Wick said, his voice raspy and impatient. “You are going to do whatever I say, understand?”

I energetically nodded, not even trying to push him away. He was too strong for me to push him, and I feared that if I moved just one muscle, he would pull the trigger.

“If you try anything, I shoot you. If you scream, I shoot you. If you call for help, I shoot you” To reinforce his words, he took the safety off. “Don’t test my patience”

I whimpered once more, holding my hands up in surrender. This man exuded such a terrifying vibe, only worsened by the dangerous look in his dark eyes and the deep roughness in his voice.

Slowly, he pushed himself off me and allowed me to move away from the wall. He retracted both hands, and it was a relief not to have a gun to my head. Not that I didn’t still feel threatened.

“Now move” His hand clasped my upper arm once more, pushing me into the living room. Once there, he shoved me against the couch, where I fell against the cushions.

“What do you want?” I breathlessly asked, sitting up and not losing him out of my sight.

“I want to talk” John Wick replied, calmly. He sat down at the small round dinner table and parsimoniously left the gun on the surface.

“You came here just to talk?” My eyes darted from the gun to his eyes. “You didn’t come to kill me?”

“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have knocked” He tiredly replied, resting his hands on his thighs.

“Then why did you come here?”

“To ask you a few questions”

“Questions?”

“Yes, and _I’ll_ be asking them, so stop talking”

I pursed my lips and backed up against the couch in submission. He nodded, satisfied with my decision to follow his orders. He leaned back against the chair and eyed me carefully.

“Do you live alone?” Was his first question, as his eyes now scanned my house.

“Yes”

“So there’s no one else in the house”

“No, just me”

His hand came up to rest over the surface of the gun, causing me to tense up.

“I don’t need to warn you about lying, do I?” I quickly shook my head at his question. “Good”

In response, his hand moved to rest on his lap again. He peered at me, making a brief pause before his lips parted and he spoke again.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” I averted my gaze, refusing to reply. I could feel him staring, but only grit my teeth and lingered on my silence. “Answer me”

Cautiously daring to look up at him, I recognized that dangerous look in his expression. I didn’t need him to take the gun to realize I didn’t want to make him impatient.

“You were right, I… I just couldn’t…” As soon as I finished my sentence, I looked away again.

“In this line of work, we can’t have any morals” There was a slight bitterness in his voice. “But I guess you’re better than that, huh?”

I glared at him, wishing I could erase the smug expression he now bore. If only he knew the whole story he wouldn’t be smirking like that. Not that I was going to be the one to tell him.

“ _Who_ told you to hunt me down?” Was his next question. “Who are you working for?”

“What makes you think I’m not working alone?” I mumbled, partially mockingly.

The man didn’t even bat an eye at my childish response. He only sighed and calmly got comfortable in the chair. Despite it all, it seemed like his shoulders were tense. But not because the situation was making him uncomfortable, it seemed to be his natural state. Tense, alert, ready.

“Don’t make me lose my patience” When his hand fully wrapped around the gun, I tensed up and bowed my head down.

“If I give them away, they’ll kill me” I whispered, already picturing the scene.

Gaige ranting about how he gave me so many opportunities, how despite it all I had betrayed them. Delfino and Dominic watching with those stupid grins plastered on their lips. Simone gloating and sarcastically saying how sorry she was to see me go.

“Uh-huh…” John Wick replied, unimpressed. He lifted the gun from the table.

“Gaige Stoakes” I gave in, the words hurriedly leaving my mouth. “It was Gaige Stoakes… He and his goons are after me because I have an unpaid debt with him. He said he would forget about it if I killed you for him”

He didn’t reply at first, seemingly in a pensive mood. Then his eyes analyzed me as his brows furrowed. I wondered what was going through his head at that moment.

A thought overcame me, realizing I had given him the answers he needed. I was rendered completely useless to him now.

“W-What’s he got to do with you?” I stuttered, even if my question wasn’t coherent.

More likely, Stoakes had nothing personal against him. John Wick was a threat to pretty much everyone. His Boogeyman fame preceded him and everyone was too scared of him to avoid him getting on their way.

“I believe that’s no one of your business” He suddenly stood up from the chair.

My heartbeat quickened as I watched him wielding the gun and I was suddenly rummaging through my brain for something useful to say.

“I-I can take you to him!” I blurted out, standing myself.

“I don’t need your help” I couldn’t contain my surprise as he headed for the front door.

“Wait… So that’s it?” I followed after him, incredulous to see him turning the knob. “You’re gonna leave just like that?”

“Yeah” He stopped, turning to face me for a second. “Let’s say we’re even”

I frowned, shocked by his adamancy to keep me alive. I never expected John Wick to be the one to spare my life after all I had done to him just because I was too much of a coward to kill him when I had the chance.

“Goodbye, Elizabeth Dawson” His deep voice seemed to echo in my mind as he left.

The sound of the door closing after him was extremely loud in my ears despite the gentleness with which he closed it.

The air felt thick as I moved in a daze, weakly sitting down on the last step of the staircase.

I never told him my name, and yet he knew. What else did he know about me? He had known where I lived too. I was sure that, if for some stupid reason I tried to warn Stoakes about my confession to John Wick, the Boogeyman would take advantage of all that information he had on me. And forget about the debt he owed me.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to leave kudos if you're liking it as well as comments, I would love to read your opinions! :D

Living like this was torture. Despite his somewhat reassuring words that it wasn’t his intention to kill me, John Wick’s visit made me paranoid. I saw him in every suited man, in every shadow. I heard him in every deep voice, in every loud sound.

Worst of all, if for some reason he decided to just send a message to Stoakes, I was fucked. Not only had I not kept my end of the deal, I had sent John Wick to him.

Days passed, and I refused to leave my house. I kept all windows closed and all doors locked, just in case. I tried to distract myself with TV or doing anything at all, but dark thoughts always reached me.

I was so fed up with all this bullshit. I wasn’t even supposed to belong to this world. If Gaige got off my back, I could probably break all connections to it. But I wouldn’t be so lucky. Especially now that he would be pissed at me.

Sitting in the same couch that I had felt trapped in on just a couple of days ago, I feebly watched TV, though not really processing what was happening in it.

I looked down to my forearm, reading the words tattooed in the skin.

“Audaces fortuna iuvat…” I said out loud, reciting the mantra that I had established for myself.

Resting my head against the back of the couch, I heaved a loud sigh. I knew things wouldn’t magically get fixed and that I would need to do something. But what was I supposed to do? Go around killing everyone?

I was startled out of my thoughts when my phone buzzed. I held my breath as I picked it up and looked at the screen, almost expecting to see ‘John Wick’. Thankfully, it was just Aurelio.

“What’s up?” I took the call, turning the TV off to get rid of the noise.

“Lisa, my love!” He was in a teasing mood as usual. “I got good news”

“Promise?” I passed a hand through my hair, waiting for his response.

“Your bike is fixed! Drop by whenever and you can finally take it home”

“Finally” I repeated, excited to ride it again. The car was too big and slow for my liking.

“When are you planning to come then?”

“Probably right now”

“Good, I’ll be here”

“Thanks, Aurelio”

“No problem, doll!”

I hung up with a newfound eagerness, exhilarated to be getting something good for a change. Before I left the house, I prepared myself like I always did. Paper clip in my sleeve, gun in my belt and knife in my pocket. Just in case.  These last days, life had been kicking me down more than usual, so it felt nice to go out to meet with a friend and pick up my dear motorbike.

 

 

Aurelio received me with the usual friendly yet playful smirk plastered on his lips. He opened his arms at the sight of me, but I knew he wasn’t going in for a hug, he was mockingly praising me.

“You’re alive!” Was his greeting. “You know, I was scared I might never see you again”

“How sweet” I rolled my eyes at him. “If you have anything corny to say, save it”

“What I have is a lot of questions” He carefully leaned in the hood of the closest car and crossed his arms over his chest. “If he’s alive, and you’re alive, what the fuck happened?”

“How do you know I didn’t kill him?” I cocked an eyebrow, smirking at him.

“Please” Aurelio let out a heartfelt guffaw. “Besides, if John Wick died, I think we’d all know”

“True…”

“So what happened? Did you two fall in love or something?”

“No!” I huffed in outrage to his suggestion. “We hate each other”

My friend peered at me, a smart glint in his eyes told me he had theories of his own concerning our encounter. I wondered if he knew each of us enough to come up with the truth.

“Can I take my bike back or what?” I began walking forward, tossing the keys of the car he had lent me to him. “I didn’t pay a shit ton of money for it for nothing”

Aurelio played with the keys in his hands, making a jingling sound, and led me to my motorbike. As soon as I watched it, now in perfect state again, I caressed its surface.

“You better take care of it” He handed me my helmet, which I took with a smile.

“Don’t worry, I will” Holding on to the handlebars, I swung a leg over the seat and settled on it.

“Have fun” Aurelio tapped the bike, and smiled at me.

“See you around!” I grinned in response, winking at him.

That said, I put the helmet on started the engine. The familiar purr was exhilarating, as well as the feeling of riding again as I left the car shop behind.

 

 

I smiled like I hadn’t in a while, genuinely delighted at that moment. Even if the helmet kept me from feeling the wind in my air, I enjoyed the feeling of speeding up slightly.

The adrenaline that accompanied the rush was, for the first time, not related to violence, and it was a pleasant to experience it without the inevitable pain that usually followed.

There was barely any traffic at all. It was starting to get dark as the sun took its time meeting the line of the horizon. At that moment, the city was immersed in an unusual tranquility that calmed me.

And it all went to shit in just one second. It wouldn’t surprise me that they were following me, or that they wanted to wind me up in the worst possible moment. I would expect something like that from them.

A big car approached me, too close for comfort. The headlights blinded me, and before I knew, I was being hit. The car revved the engine and rammed against the side of my bike, sending me flying off it.

I landed with a painful thud, rolling across the road because of the momentum with which I was hit. I groaned in pain when I stopped, feeling the skin in my hands being scrapped. At least I wore the helmet, which I took off with trembling fingers.

Not daring to move as my body still complained with the force of the impact, I looked around the scene. The few pedestrians that roamed around the street had stopped to watch.

“It’s fine!” A much too familiar voice resonated in my head. “My bad”

I clenched my jaw when I saw a mop of greasy blond hair amongst the crowd. Delfino left his car and walked over to me. I wanted to get the furthest away from him as possible, but my muscles felt so sore that it seemed impossible to push myself up.

“You son of a-“ He closed the distance in two long strides and took me by the arm, pulling me to my feet so fast that I got a head rush.

“She’s alright” He stupidly told the people witnessing the scene. “No harm done”

When the curious by-standers began leaving, I didn’t know if I should have felt relieved or upset. Delfino smirked to himself as he dragged me with him, into a lonely alleyway.

Once we were away from any potential witnesses, he let go of me and I promptly dropped to the ground when my legs stopped supporting my weight. My already sensitive knees received the blow, making me wince.

“Won’t you assholes leave me the fuck alone?” I pressed my back against the wall behind me, leaning my hands on the ground to support myself. My knuckles graced against the wall, even if my fingers were moving to my belt.

“You know why I’m here, pay time” He towered over me, that goofy and idiotic smirk on his lips. Honestly, he wasn’t too bright; I sure hoped Gaige thought he was loyal.

“What a surprise” I muttered under my breath, enveloping the butt of the gun with my hands behind my back.

“Got anything to say for yourself?”

“Yeah, that you’re a moronic piece of shit”

I pulled out my handgun and pulled the trigger, landing a bullet on his upper arm and immediately scrambling to get up.

“Ugh, you bitch!” His impetuous nature surfaced when he kicked me across the face. I fell on my side, dropping the gun and holding my nose. Warm blood poured out of it and onto my fingers.

To top it all off, he kicked me once more, this time in my stomach. I folded over myself, feeling like he had knocked the wind out of me. Little dots appeared in my vision.

My breath came in a quick pace as he took me by the shirt and held me up, face to face. I held his defiant glare with a scowl.

“You’re gonna pay for my bike repair!” I tugged at his hand so he would let go of me. “I just picked it up from the shop!”

“So you can owe us more money?”

“That debt is not even mine!”

“Gaige is getting tired of your bullshit”

“It’s not like you’re gonna kill me, remember? Then you wouldn’t get your money”

“Maybe we will, use you as a warning for others”

I gulped, earning a satisfied smirk from him. I grunted when he pushed me against the ground once more, leaving me there to mull over that statement.

I made my way back to my motorbike in a daze until I found it lying in the middle of the road. After lifting it off the ground, I was relieved to assure that although damaged again, at least this time it was only a dent. I tried to be positive, thinking that this time they didn’t ruin the engine.

Driving like an automaton, I was back home before I could realize. I wanted nothing more than to eat some greasy fast food, watch TV and forget about everything. Just isolate myself from the world and do nothing, be lazy and unconcerned.

I thought the day couldn’t get any worse after all that. Until a knock came to my front door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really proud of this chapter and how the story is going so far, and hopefully you all are enjoying it too! :) Remember to drop a comment if you're feeling like it, I love reading them :3

When I opened the door, I watched him in shock, unable to process the fact that John Wick was standing at my door again. But this time he was injured, and had come here in desperate need.

His head hung forward in exhaustion, but as soon as I swung the door open, he looked up to me.

“Can I come in?” He breathed out, clutching his stomach, where blood poured out from between his fingers.

“Uh…” Noticing I had been staring at his wound, I lifted my eyes to lock with his and stepped to the side. “Y-Yeah”

With a tired nod, he stumbled inside. I observed him, still trying to assimilate the situation. I got out of my daze when he fell against the wall, breathing heavily and struggling to stand.

“John!” I exclaimed, immediately going to his side and putting his arm over my shoulders to help him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah” He leaned all his weight on me as we slowly made our way to the living room, dragging him to the couch. “I’ve been worse, believe me”

“What… What happened to you?” I strained, finding that he was too tall and heavy.

“What do you think?” Was his response, although it didn’t make sense to me.

He was John Wick, who could possible leave him in that state? There was no one that strong. Either they greatly outnumbered him, fought dirty or took him by surprise. And even that sounded unlikely, but those were the only logical explanations I found.

“Here” I muttered as we made it to the couch, where I carefully dropped him.

John heavily fell, shifting himself into a more comfortable lying position and I bent closer to him to take analyze the state he was in. 

“Do you have any alcohol?” He immediately asked me, much to my surprise.

“What? No…” At first the question puzzled me, but I assumed he wanted it for the pain. “Wait, I-I think I have wine?”

“That’ll have to do” Exhausted, he closed his eyes and saved his strength, only using them to keep his stomach from bleeding out.

I observed him in concern, the rise and fall of his chest being the only tell that he was still alive as he remained motionless with his eyes shut.

“Stay awake” I patted him in the shoulder as I stood up straight. “I’ll… I’ll get the first aid kit”

“And the wine…” He reminded me.

“And the wine!” I repeated as I hurried upstairs.

I climbed the steps at top speed and took a right towards the bathroom. Once there, I blindly reached for the light switch and as soon as I could see, I grabbed the first aid kit from its usual place under the sink and rushed back downstairs, not even bothering to turn the light off. My side began to twinge at the dash, but I continued on my way to the kitchen. I quickly grabbed one of the bottles of red wine and returned to the living room as fast as I could.

“How are you holding up?” I asked John as soon I made it to the threshold.

He lightly lifted his head at the sound of my voice and watched me with hazy eyes.

“Still alive…” His chest continued moving up and down with his elaborate breathing. It was then when I realized the skin was visible now, as he had unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his wound. His tie also hung at the top of the couch.

“Okay” I positioned myself next to him and knelt down in the ground, putting the first aid kit in the floor by my side.

John snatched the bottle from my hand, which I let him do, and with the corner of my eye I saw him taking a big swig of it. It wasn’t bourbon but, as he said, it would have to do.

My hands shook as I washed the wound, putting pressure on it with clean gauze. John winced a little when I did, but busied himself with drinking more wine.

I got a bit nauseous watching the blood seep through the fabric of the gauze. The feeling only worsened at the thought of having to stitch it closed.

“S-Shouldn’t I take you to the hospital or something?” I muttered, earning a cautious gaze from him. “I…”

“No, no hospitals, you know that”

“Fuck, you’re… right” People like us couldn’t just go there and expect them not to ask any questions. “You’re right, of course…”

I gulped as my hands lingered on his stomach. I let my eyes wander around the room, trying to avoid looking at the wound. 

“Are you okay?” John suddenly asked me, frowning as he observed me.

I stopped what I was doing and scowled at him. When our glances met, his didn’t falter.

“Me?!” I said after an astonished pause. “You’re the one bleeding to death!”

“That’s comforting” He showed me a sarcastic smile.

“Sorry, sorry” I forced myself to take a deep breath, even if it was unstable. “I’m panicking a bit”

“Don’t” John mumbled, putting down the bottle. “I need your help”

“Right” Knowing the sooner I started, the better, I picked up the needle and leaned it against his skin. It felt warm and sticky because of all the blood.

“This is gonna hurt like a bitch” I carefully eyed him, but he squinted his eyes in vexation. “Do you want to bite something or…?”

“Just do it” He interrupted me, knowing I was putting it off.

“Okay” Deeply inhaling, I prepared myself for it, begging my hands to stop shaking.

I focused on my hands instead of him or the blood, not looking away as they worked on closing the wound. John barely complained at all, other than the occasional grunt that escaped his throat.

My eyes darted to his face, wanting to check on him. It was then when I noticed the trickle of blood on his forehead that started at the hairline and stopped at the eyebrow. I gawked at the spot, my hands stopping their motion.

“Did you get hit in the head?” I dedicated him a stern glance, wondering why he hadn’t mentioned it before.

“Yeah” He half-questioned, observing me like he was before. His eyes were dripping with an emotion I had never seen in them and that I couldn’t really pinpoint. “It’s nothing”

“No, John, you can have a concussion!” I exclaimed, trying to think about how to handle that. I was probably being a crappy nurse, and on top of all I had no idea about first aid other than what was obvious.

“I don’t have a concussion” Despite his grimace of pain, a smile tug at the corner of his lips.

“How can you know that?” I knew my state of panic didn’t really help, but I couldn’t control myself.

“I just do” John gravely replied, his eyes surprisingly calm although stern.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” I lifted one hand, putting three fingers up for him to count.

“Forget about it” He tiredly shoved my hand away from his face.

I vehemently shook my head, frustrated that he was being so pigheaded.

“But… You should have told me! A concussion is something really bad and-“ I only realized I was rambling when he abruptly interrupted me.

“Elizabeth” The sound of my name being spoken by him startled me so much that I stopped talking. “Don’t worry about my head, worry about my stab wound”

Looking down to his stomach, I saw that my hand was still hovering over it, holding the thread that would close his wound. My hands were shaking more than before.

“Sure” I took a deep breath to calm the nerves and continued my task.

I bit my bottom lip in concentration as I finished stitching it and cut the thread with a small pair of scissors from the first aid kit. My fingers were covered in blood as I put everything back. I mentally reminded myself to stay calm and objective. Priorities. His most threatening wound was now closed and I could move on to the rest.

My eyes traveled up to his chest and down to his stomach, but I couldn’t spot any more open wounds besides the one I had just closed. It was a small relief.

“Now can I move on to your head wound?” It was a rhetoric question, but he answered it anyway.

“Yeah” He was out of breath, which worried me, but he carelessly picked up the wine again and took another gulp. It was almost empty now.

A shaky breath escaped my lips as I picked up gauze, drenching it in antiseptic and cleaning the trickle of blood on his forehead. Then I folded the gauze to reveal the clean side and gingerly pressed it against his hairline.

I sharply inhaled through my teeth, imagining in how much pain he had to be in. How harrowing that fight must have been for him.

“I’m guessing this is the first time you ever had to treat injuries” John briefly looked down to himself to analyze his treated stab wound.

“Am I that transparent?” I smirked, acquiring a carefree attitude that would hopefully fool him as well as myself. “Or did my crappy wound dressing give me away?”

“A little bit of both” The corner of his lips curved up, which was the closest I had seen to him smiling.

My mind was starting to stop racing, as did my heart. I hadn’t realized any of it until that very moment. Once I had stopped panicking and he was mostly out of danger, something came to my attention.

“It just occurred to me…” I was done with the wound on his head as well, so I moved on to the one I noticed just then, on his shoulder. “Why did you come here?”

John didn’t reply at first, flooding the room in a heavy silence. My imagination filled it with a recreation of the way he had to have gotten injured on the shoulder. It seemed like a blade had been slammed onto his shoulder, which made me grimace just at the thought of it.

“I was close by” He finally said, his voice back to being dark and rough.

“Bullshit” I dared to meet his eyes for a moment before I covered his shoulder with gauze once it was disinfected. “Maybe you were, but that’s not the reason”

The silence returned, but only for a couple of seconds before he broke it.

“I knew you would help me” He finally told me, accompanying his words with a piercing stare.

“You barely know me” I was outraged by his actions. “And the first time we ever met I tried to murder you”

“Still, here we are…” Feeling his eyes still on me, I returned the glance.

I was taken aback by the sudden warmness in it. The only emotions I had seen in his eyes were anger, resentment and contempt. It was such a drastic change that something stirred within me.

“I…” My mouth was wide open, so I urged myself to say something. “I think that’s it”

Dragging my glance to his bare chest and stomach, I scanned his skin for any more wounds or bruises I may have missed. At first I didn’t catch any, until a dark spot on his ribs claimed my attention.

I gently pressed the tip of my fingers against it, earning a yelp from John as he jolted up in place at the sudden contact. My hands instinctively moved away, but his held them back.

“Seems like you also broke some ribs” I muttered with a small smile. “It’s already getting bruised… Did I hurt you?”

“No” The unexpected softness of his voice made me look up at him. “Your hands are cold”

“I’m sorry” I tried to retract them, but his big hands were firm against mine.

“No, it feels nice…” My heart skipped a beat as he lightly pressed my palms against his ribs. “My skin is burning up”

My cheeks were the ones burning up, finding myself unable to look away from his brown eyes. I was captivated by the beauty of them. When they were rid of any negative emotions, they were surprisingly warm and inviting.

“Let me ask you something” I was relieved when he piped up. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why?” I repeated in confusion. “You needed help, so I helped you”

“Even if you’re afraid of me” His warm hand lifted off mine, leaving my skin cold again.

“I’m not” I continued staring into his eyes, now challengingly, and grinned. “At least not when you’re lying defenseless in my couch”

He laughed a little, which magically erased any remaining tension from the air.

John then let out a heavy sigh, making me aware of how exhausted he was. He had lost a lot of blood and probably broken more bones than just a couple of ribs, so it was to be expected. Not to mention the blow to the head, concussed or not.

I took a good look at him, seeing his face covered in sweat and dried blood. It was probably very uncomfortable for him, as if all the wounds weren’t bad enough already.

“I’ll be right back” I mumbled, heading for the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” John asked me, but I didn’t answer.

Soon enough I was back with a damp rag and knelt down next to him once more. Without a word, I began delicately passing it over his face to remove all the blood and sweat that had accumulated on his skin.

I felt him staring as I moved on to his bare chest, being especially careful around the stab wounds in his shoulder and stomach. When I was done, I lightly pressed a hand against his forehead to check his temperature. It felt slightly warm, so I folded the damp rag to hide the dirty parts and pressed it over his forehead.

“You should be fine now” I draped his open shirt over him to avoid his exposed skin to get cold. “Try to get some rest”

His eyes were soft when I looked at him, and he nodded his head. I gently patted his good shoulder, glad that he was willing to stay put for the time being.

“Yell if you need anything” I broke eye contact to gather all the supplies back into the first aid kit and the empty bottle of wine, then proceeding to get off my knees.  

Once I was back on my feet, and before I could walk away, I felt a tug on my wrist.

“Elizabeth” John gravely called me. “Thank you”

I dedicated him a small smile and he let go of me, tiredly closing his eyes.

 

 

I lied down in my bed in complete silence for hours. The fact that John Wick was injured downstairs, in my couch, was ridiculous. He had come to me for help, and I hadn’t hesitated to heal him. Thinking back to what happened a few hours ago, a strange sensation settled in my stomach. I… felt a connection with him.

Before we crossed paths, I had believed him to be this cold and ruthless man whose deeds only fed his legend. I used to be terrified of the mere name, of his persona. And then he showed me he could be kind. That if we crossed paths, even if we didn’t know each other, he could say hello to me. That if I showed mercy, he would too. That he was capable of something other than violence if he was received with gentleness.

The rational part of my brain screamed that he was the Boogeyman. He was the most dangerous person I knew, and unfortunately I had come across plenty of dangerous folks. Still, recalling how gentle his hands were as he pressed my cold ones against his ribs sent a shiver down my spine, in a very different way than he had caused before.

Hearing movement downstairs and my name being called, I shot up from my lying position and into a seating one. Footsteps sounded in the silence that filled the house and I jumped to my feet, outraged that John may be up.

As soon as I exited the room, I saw him at the bottom of the stairs, finishing buttoning his shirt. He had turned to the sound of my own footsteps.

“Don’t you dare” I warned him, rushing down the stairs.

“You’ve been very kind, but I should go now” His eyes didn’t meet with mine as he focused on fixing his tie.

“You can just stay for a bit and rest” When he started walking, I followed him on his way back to the living room to grab his jacket. “C’mon, you could have died”

I bumped into his back when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. I opened my mouth to tell him off, but he turned around at the speed of light and covered my mouth with a big hand.

I questioned him with my glance, but he was too busy scanning every centimeter of the house. When his brown eyes finally locked with mine, they were filled with seriousness.

“There’s someone here” With that, he pushed the both of us against the wall.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy chapter 6 and remember to leave kudos and/or comments, please. Thank you so much for all the love this series has been getting so far! ❤

Slowly releasing me when he realized I wouldn’t make a sound, John peered at me. He must have noticed my alarm, because he made a calming gesture with his hands. I nodded in silence, promising to remain calm without any words.

He lifted a hand up, with his index finger and thumb out resembling a gun. Figuring his weapons were back on the living room, along with his jacket, I pointed upstairs to my room.

John motioned for me to get them with a head movement. I nodded and went to do as he said, but suddenly a noise made me stop. I was no trained assassin like he was, but I definitely heard someone loading a weapon outside. A big weapon by the sound of it.

“Fuck…” I whispered, treading lightly as I climbed up the stairs and made it to my room.

I didn’t have an arsenal, but I did own a couple of weapons for my own safety. Taking them from under the bed, I picked up two handguns that I hoped would suffice. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to be as stealthy as possible, as I went to reunite with John.

He moved his head toward me, combing his hair behind his ears so it didn’t fall on his eyes, and held his hand out. I offered him both guns, but he only took one and pushed the other towards me.

Our eyes met for a moment, and he pointed the ground next to his feet with an energetic motion. Understanding what he meant, I nodded once again.

John cocked the gun and pointed it towards the living room, taking a step forward. I figured his intentions were to return and grab the weapons in his jacket. I stepped behind him, clutching the back of his shirt with my hand, and took a deep breath.

A clicking sound somewhere in the kitchen alerted us that things were about to get ugly. John’s grunt in front of me was the only warning I had to prepare myself for what would follow. I cringed when I heard footsteps, but John was ready and stepped up. Then absolute chaos reigned in my house.

John didn’t hesitate to take the first shot, instantly eliminating one of the intruders. Next came the sound of a dozen of people rushing inside. I felt the blood drain from my face, overwhelmed by the sheer number.

Reminding myself to stay close to John, I cocked my gun and stepped into the living room. More gunshots surrounded me as I did, so I aimed at the first person I saw.

They were all dressed in dark suits, covering their faces with black ski masks. While John took care of three men to his left, moving at the speed of light and unloading shots on them and dodging with impeccable agility, I shot one of them in the right. His now bloody knee elicited a scream of pain as he crumbled to the ground.

The next time I looked at John, he was throwing what I assumed was the empty gun at another one, momentarily disorienting them as it landed on their head. Then John rolled in the ground towards the couch. He reached out to pick up two Uzi guns from his jacket. I cringed at the much louder and constant sound of their gunfire, losing track of him as he moved away with a swift movement.

In the meantime, more assassins arrived and I tried to hear anything over the loud ruckus of my heart thumping in my ears. I blindly shot, barely aiming, as panic took over me. Gunshots were starting to reach me too, so I dropped to the ground in desperate need for cover.

“Ah!” I shouted in a mixture of anger and pain when I felt a lacerating pang in my thigh. “Mother-“

“Elizabeth!” John called me, and I heard him rushing my way.

Time seemed to slow down as a guy circled around the couch that I was using as a cover. John was racing to reach me first. A goofy smile formed on the guy’s lips as he leaned forward to try and touch me. But a bullet landed on his forehead before his hand could even grace my shoulder, sending him forward and on top of me.

The shock locked a horrified scream in my throat, and John shoved the guy off me before I could recover. Then he moved on, leaving me wishing he stayed.

I heavily swallowed, taking a deep breath and telling myself I couldn’t get blocked. It was give up or die fighting, and I preferred the latter, so I forced myself up.

Another guy –holy fuck, how many were there?! –was suddenly too close to me, and my instinct kicked in. The adrenaline fueled me, filling me with courage and fury.

I shoved my knee against his hands and made him lose his aim, making him shoot at the ceiling. The sound confused itself with the constant noise of gunfire, people struggling and fighting and furniture breaking.

Then I slammed my elbow against his jaw and kicked him in the chest. He recomposed quite quickly, and before I knew I was being pushed against a table. I used my legs to throw him off me, but I realized he was lifting his weapon again and his finger was on the trigger. I moved without thinking, aiming for his head and shutting my eyes tight before I pulled the trigger. The shot echoed in my ears and I opened my eyes just in time to see him drop dead. I… I did that; I… killed him, I…

I sat up slightly, leaning against the table, and letting go of my gun as though it had burned me. My eyes lost focus and all my senses numbed. It felt like my heart had jumped up to my throat and was now throbbing in there.

The world moved and spun around me as I sat there in a daze. Tears welled up in my eyes, yet I refused to shed them. The chaos surrounding me gradually died down, making the ringing in my ears all the more obvious.

A hand shook my shoulder, startling me out of my daze. It took a moment for my eyes to focus, but when they did I found face to face with John. He was leaning down to be at eye level with me.

“Elizabeth” My name still sounded strange in his mouth. “Are you hurt?”

My brain needed several seconds to comprehend what he was trying to tell me. I eventually shook my head slowly, blinking in an attempt to get out of my head.

“N-No, I don’t think so” Forcing myself out of that daze, I clung on to his shoulder and used him as a support to push myself up.

“I heard you screaming” Came his deep voice, and I noticed his hand resting on my back. It seemed to stabilize me a little, because whether or not I actually was, it seemed like I was wobbling.

“A bullet graced me…” My hand flew to rest on my thigh, there were it burned. I inspected that spot and saw the fabric of my jeans ripped open, but my skin was mostly untouched except for a bloody scratch at the side.

“Why did you follow after me?” He took me by the shoulders and shook me gently until my eyes connected with his. “I told you to stay put”

“I thought… I-I misunderstood, then…” I frowned, confused by the sudden urgency in his expression. “A-And… But I wasn’t going to leave you on your own!”

“I could have taken care of it myself” John scowled, now separating himself from me. “You should have stayed there”

“It didn’t even cross my mind” It was an honest response. I just assumed I was supposed to have his back, even if he didn’t need it. Even if I probably got in his way instead.

When John put some distance between us, the unavoidable moment came in which I looked at the state my house was now in. Crystal vases had been shattered, as well as many windows. Chairs and tables had been flipped over and many pieces of furniture had been broken or damaged. My walls were filled with bullet holes as well, tearing down some paintings on the way.

The worst part was lingering on the ground. It was full of lifeless bodies, still spilling blood onto the marble ground. I suddenly felt faint, so much that I had to tightly hold on to the nearest table. I began hyperventilating, so I made an effort to leave my mind blank and occupy it with my breathing pattern instead.

“Who were these people?” A gruff voice interrupted me.

“I… don’t know” I choked out, gulping to keep the nausea at bay. “They could be…”

My eyes were following John as he crouched and took one of their masks off. I ran out of oxygen and felt my knees shaking when I recognized two of the bodies. Dominic and Delfino. Fuck.

My knees finally buckled and I crashed against the table I was leaning in, accidentally throwing everything off it. I was trembling as I scurried back to my feet.

“You okay?” I heard John’s deep voice amongst the whistling in my ears.

I shook my head, feeling nauseous and light headed. The room was spinning around me and I stumbled forward, falling to my knees. I leaned my weight on my hands against the floor.

Deep breaths, take deep breaths. I focused on evening my breathing, closing my eyes and slowing my crazed thoughts. Instead of focusing on how it all ended, I considered how it started.

If Delfino and Dominic were part of the ambush, Gaige had to be the one who sent them. Were they after John or after me? Maybe after both? Did they somehow know he would be here? Did they follow John? Was this some sort of payback for failing to eliminate John? My mind was starting to race again.

I screamed in alarm when a hand suddenly pulled at my arm and forced me up straight again.

“It’s just me” It was John, who was stubborn in his demand. “Are you okay?”

“No!” A sudden fury overcame me, and I pushed myself to my feet. I stumbled, but he held me up and kept my vertical. “I’m not fucking okay!”

It was thing after thing, and I never got a fucking respite. I wasn’t even supposed to have anything to do with Gaige! I was never meant to be involved in all this crap, in this world!

“Fuck it all, I’ve had it! It’s all his fucking fault and I’m fed up!” I realized I was screaming when my throat started to feel raspy, but it didn’t stop me. I was so enraged that I felt out of control, almost like my voice didn’t even belong to me. “None of this was supposed to happen! None of this is my fault, why do I keep getting fucked over like this?! It’s not fucking fair, you know?”

John was staring at me, eyes filled with compassion. His hands were off me now, and I noticed how he very carefully moved closer to me. I had backed myself against the wall without realizing.

Tears collected at the corner of my eyes as I craved a way to stop it all, the tidal wave of suffocating emotions.

“I didn’t do anything to deserve all of this shit! I didn’t choose this life, it was all him! And because of him my fate is sealed, ever since I was born! I’m tired of feeling unsafe, I’m tired of being scared, but there’s nothing I can do about it! I’m cursed to live this way, beating after beating and with debts and barely making it and-and…”

“It’s okay” John put an arm around me as I crumbled to the floor again, sobbing and struggling to breathe. “It’s alright…”

“I… hate him” I gulped, treasuring his comforting embrace.

John gently pressed my frame against his chest, rubbing my back with his hand.

“I know, it’s okay” He whispered, but he didn’t know, how could he? No one knew.

I lost track of time as we lingered in that position, with John protectively wrapping his strong arms around me and cradling me against his chest as I bawled my eyes out, staining his shirt with tears.

It wasn’t until I calmed down slightly that I was hit with realization and the surprise settled in. John Wick was holding me, he was comforting me. He was _hugging_ me.

Taking ahold of myself, I softly pushed him away and wiped my tears. The outburst had left me with zero energy, so I sat on the ground for a moment as I did my best not to look at him.

“S-Sorry” I gathered as I recovered, both my voice and hands shaky. “I’m sorry”

“Are you feeling better now?” His eyes were fixed on me as he sat down too, giving me my space but still staying close.

“Yeah” I heaved a deep breath. “I don’t know what came over me”

“I would say you don’t get to vent very often” The emotion in his voice invited me to look up at him. “And I would also guess this is the first time you’re in a shootout”

I winced, shutting my eyes tight, at the reminder of the scene around us. My stomach churned again at the thought of it. He seemed to read my anguish, because he piped up again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to clean it up”

“Am I… s-safe here?”

John paused, and when I looked at him again he was as serious as ever. There was no trace of the relaxed warmness from just a few hours prior. Instead he was cold and calculating. He had passed from just being ‘John’ to fully being ‘John Wick’, to being the assassin, the Boogeyman. To being in control.

“I don’t know… Did they have any reason to come after you or were they after me?”

“What worries me is that they might be after both”


	7. Chapter 7

Aurelio put his jacket over my shoulders, stopping to comfortingly rub my back.

“Fuck” He muttered, passing a hand over his mouth, after John was done explaining. “No wonder she’s such a wreck”

“Yeah” John walked through the garage, offering me a glass of a thick liquid and peering at me with worried eyes. “Can you think of anyone who-?”

After little consideration, I snatched the glass from his hand and downed it in one gulp. It burned like hell and it made me cough, but it helped me numb all the overwhelming sensations that were taking over my mind and body. The crawling in my skin, the fuzziness in my brain… Just… everything.

“Holy shit, Elizabeth...” Aurelio uttered, heaving a deep sigh. There was a loud silence in which I felt them intently watching me. When I rolled my eyes, my friend continued speaking, directing his words at John. “To answer your question, yeah. I don’t know the details, but she's in trouble with this guy, Gaige Stoakes”

“Smiling Gaige?”

“That’s him. I think he’s the one who sent her to kill you”

“He is”

“So whatcha gonna do about it?”

“Take care of it” Retrieving a gun from his belt, he adamantly cocked it.

“No” Every fiber of my being felt unstable, but I still spoke up. “You’re not doing that, I don’t want your charity”

“It’s not charity” John frowned, watching me gravely. “I owe you a debt; you’re involved in this because of me”

“I didn’t help you because I wanted you to owe me” I stood up, ignoring how weak and shaky I felt and how my legs seemed made out of jelly.

With the corner of my eye, I caught Aurelio tensing up at my sudden movement, but I completely ignored him and faced John. He observed me in silence; his eyes were piercing as though he was trying to read my mind.

“I just helped you, John, because it was the right thing to do” I said to fill the silence, sitting back down when I felt myself swaying. “Because I wanted to”

Even as he towered over me, holding a gun in his hand, his gaze was stern yet somehow soft at the same time. His head slightly fell forward, forcing the curtain of dark hair over his features to hide them.

“Fine” John budged, saving his weapon. “But this isn’t over”

“Maybe, but it’s my problem, not yours” I wrapped myself with Aurelio’s jacket, averting my gaze under John’s attentive stare. “And I don’t work like you do”

“I’m going home” He paused, sending me a significant glance with his following words. “It’s safe there”

I averted my gaze, flustered by the invitation. While a part of me was glad that I had somewhere else to go, somewhere where I wouldn’t feel on edge given the circumstances, the other part of me was too conflicted to even admit it.

My relationship with John was itself too strange and complex. I knew there was some kind of connection, he had to feel it too. When we were together there was a different atmosphere now, electric almost. My thoughts inevitably evoked those moments in which I treated his wounds, and I became rattled at the memory of that intimate closeness.

Footsteps claimed my attention, although I repressed the urge to look up. I knew John was leaving, slowly, giving me the chance to call him back. I didn’t.

“You good?” Aurelio rested a hand on my shoulder, patiently awaiting a response.

I sighed, quickly lifting my glance just in time to see John’s tall figure disappear outside.

“Yeah” I locked eyes with my friend, forcing out a smile. “I’m fine”

“You were lucky John was there” Aurelio let out an awkward chuckle, allegedly to relief the tension. However, I scowled at him.

He was right, but he didn’t have to say it. It made me feel helpless, like a damsel in distress. Like I had no power, like I never fought for myself. And I was done with that.

When Aurelio stepped away from me, I stood up. I took his jacket off me, placing it on the chair instead. He was already a few meters away, but turned around with the unexpected movement.

“Hey, where you going?” He asked me, giving me a wary look.

“John’s” I only replied, exiting the garage with determination.

 

 

I didn’t really like lying to Aurelio. We had been friends for a long time and I appreciated his support. But I needed to do that alone. If I told him my plans, it would have complicated everything. And he might have involved John again.

Standing before Gaige’s place, I took a deep breath. It was insane, but there wasn’t much else I could do other than pull a John Wick and kill everyone. And that wasn’t really my style.

I came in, trying to remember the things I mentally planned to say while I walked all the way there. The sight of that place that I had been in so many times was strange. It was probably the first time ever I was willingly there and not being threatened. Or tied up. Or serving as a punching bag.

The building still gave me the creeps. I could feel the evil there floating in the air. None of these people were up to any good.

Once inside, a blonde woman with wild brown eyes and a ponytail watched me half amused and half disgusted. I did my best not to even glance at Simone as I went straight to Gaige’s office.

The adrenaline once again made an appearance as I lifted my fist to knock. My knuckles made contact with the door, and I opened it immediately after as not to get cold feet.

Inside the room I was received with a nasty sight. I used to think that Gaige’s lively face was bad enough because of the fake nature of it. That was until I read a clear anger in his features. 

“Elizabeth Dawson” Gaige only said, setting his wide brown eyes on me.

“I want to make a deal” I valiantly said, making myself loud and clear. “Let’s end this bullshit. I’ll do anything to settle it”

“I gave you a chance” There was a dangerous edge to his usually falsely cordial voice. “But you didn’t kill John Wick. In fact, you sent him to me and he killed many of my men”

I took a step back, closing my hands into fists when the realization hit. This was a terrible idea, obviously. That I wanted to act on it didn’t mean I thought it was smart. It clearly wasn’t. But I had to go and do it anyway. I had to do something.

“Then you two kill two of my closest, most loyal men” My heart hammered inside my ribcage with the mental image of Delfino and Dominic’s dead bodies. “And now you expect me to forgive you just like that?”

“I’ll do anything” My voice shook, aware of what I was promising.

“It’s too late for that” He clapped his hands twice, making me jolt up in alarm.

I jumped up again when the door to the office opened behind me and a certain woman walked in. There was a tense pause in which the three of us waited for the other to act. Until I did, trying to gain the upper hand.

First shielding my face with my arm just in case, I advanced towards Simone and shoved the hard part of my palm against her nose. I heard gunshots as I made a run for it.

The scene was all too familiar when the goons outside stood prepared to intercept me. This time I ran for the window instead. It was a few stories up, but I went for it and accepted my fate.

I screamed as I fell, landing on my feet but losing my balance. My ankle twisted, but I was sure I had only sprained it slightly. My knees received the true impact as I fell forward, painfully breaking my fall first with them and then with my hands and my arms.

I looked up, stopping for a second to catch my breath and analyze the situation. I had forgotten with the rush of the moment, but just then I realized I had walked there from the car shop. I literally had no way of making a quick escape. I should have thought about that before. I was fucked.

I was too into deep in that shit and I could not think straight. I had just wanted it all to end once for all. Stupid! I had to go and do that reckless bullshit. I just made everything ten times worse.

Standing there alone in the middle of the street I probably looked like a fool. I frantically thought what my options were, but there wasn’t much to do.

A pair of wedge heels resonated near me, so I slowly turned around to face her. I was surprised she came alone, but she could probably take me on her own.

I could clearly read the contempt in Simone’s brown eyes, more intense than ever. I never really thought she was close to those two, but apparently she was. Like she needed another reason to hate me.

She pulled out a dagger and walked towards me at a too calm pace. I gulped, forcing my mind to focus on the scene that was about to develop.

All I had was my trustworthy knife and gun, my fists and the medium amount of self-defense knowledge I had. I didn’t know if it would be enough to survive an actual confrontation like that. Especially if she was that pissed at me, more than ever.

I pulled out my gun from my belt and pointed it at her. Simone didn’t bat an eye and continued to close the distance between us, the fire in her eyes only growing more intense by the second.

Watching the tattoo that peeked from under my sleeve, I gathered the courage necessary to cock the weapon and set my finger on the trigger, ready to pull it.

Before I could, she moved at the speed of light and drew a revolver, not hesitating not one second to shoot. The bullet barely graced my wrist, but it burned my skin as it peeled some off and caused me to drop my weapon.

“You’re gonna pay, _Lizzie_ ” She scowled at me, not lowering her gun. “And now you don’t have your dear Boogeyman to protect you”

I wished I had told John what my plans were. Or even Aurelio. They might not have helped, but at least they probably would have stopped me from this madness.

I knelt on the ground, clutching my raw skin to my chest. Watching her point the gun to my head was when the adrenaline once again came to the rescue, triggering all my instincts and self-defense abilities.

Throwing myself backwards so my back slammed against the ground, I sent her a high kick that deflected the bullet. The gunshot echoed around the empty streets and the projectile got lost above me.

Lunging forward and desperately holding on to her wrists, I pulled myself to my feet as I forced her gun up and away from me. Simone grunted in frustration, struggling against my grip. Our forces were almost equally matched, but knowing that I would eventually lose, I changed my strategy.

I twisted her arm over my head and forced her in a lock, pressing her back against my front and taking ahold of all my strengths to keep her in that position. That way, the gun was aimed away from me entirely.

Simone shot a couple more times as she wriggled in my grip, now screaming in fury. I grit my teeth, trying not to listen to my heart pounding in my chest and ears.

I loudly cried out when I suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my upper arm, subsequently making me let go of her. My head began spinning when I saw the hilt of a dagger sticking out of it. It took all the self-restrain within me not to pass out at the harrowing sight.

My heart thumping inside my ribcage, faster than before, reminded me that I still needed to focus. It must have been just two seconds but to me it felt like several minutes before I recovered.

Simone was ready to retaliate, but all I could do to stop her was kick her in the stomach, yet that only bought me a couple of seconds as she caught her breath again.

I took a step closer to face her, but I stopped in my tracks when a gasp left my throat. A gunshot had sounded, and I had felt the impact. My eyes widened and my throat instantly dried as I cautiously looked down to myself.

My side was gushing blood, and I got so light-headed for it that I fell to my knees once more. My entire body had gone completely numb, including my brain since it could not comprehend the fact that I had been shot, except for the acute burning sensation in my left side. It felt like the bullet had been on fire and was consuming me from the inside.

My hands moved on their own as they clutched the bullet wound, staining my fingers with a sickening crimson. Helpless squeaks escaped my lips in anguish.

“Oh, how I hate to see you suffer like that” Her voice was overly sweet, in a clear fake tone that made my blood boil. “Maybe I’ll stretch it out before I kill you”

Her venomous words gave me enough strength to stand up to her. I rapidly pulled out my knife and slashed it against her wrist. I felt nauseous when I felt it deeply cut through skin and tendon. Simone groaned and her fingers automatically lost the strength to keep wielding the gun.

When the weapon hit the floor, I kicked it hard, sending it as far away from me as possible. The damage was done, but at least she wouldn’t be able to finish me off with it.

“You pathetic little girl” I yelped when her fist made contact with my temple, causing me to literally see stars as I lost balance and landed sideways on the floor. I heard the metallic sound of my knife landing close to me.

Taking advantage that I was down, Simone punched me right over the eye. As she threw her arm back, I weakly pushed her shoulders to get her away from me. It didn’t do much and she unleashed her fist against my face again.

Not knowing what else to do, I wrapped my hands around her neck as tightly as I could. She immediately gasped for breath and reached out to hit me again, but I pushed my knees against her to create some distance.

Her face was becoming blurry, but I couldn’t tell if it was because of the blood loss or the tears that were starting to form on my eyes.

I grimaced when her long nails managed to scratch at my face, painfully digging in my cheek and causing me to inevitable let go of her as they dug deeper into my skin.

As soon as she was freed, she pulled out the dagger from my arm. It had felt so numb after I was shot that I had forgotten it was still lodged in there. The action was so quick and ruthless that it literally blinded me from pain, and I shrieked in response. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see, I couldn’t function. For several seconds, there was only pain. That also got rid of my numbness and made every other wound to join in a collective wave of agony.

“You think you can get away with it?” I felt her blade, warm with my blood, against my throat. “You worthless, insignificant piece of-“

I was barely aware of what I was doing as I stretched out my arm and took hold of my knife to blindly sink it in her. Not aiming, just wherever I could reach, whichever body part was the closest.

It gave me enough time to get her off me as she struggled to breathe with a knife to her chest, and stumble to my feet. I watched her for a few seconds, ready to strike back.

I had never felt so alert before, somehow managing to ignore all the pain I was going through and how so many places in my body throbbed. I felt like an animal, pure instinct and adrenaline that took over my conscious self and moved without warning.

As soon as her eyes directed towards me, pulling the knife out of her chest, I acted without thinking. I tiredly punched her on the jaw, knocking her out cold. She limply fell backwards onto the ground.

 

 

I made it. I had no idea how, but I had made it out alive and dodged her. I was –allegedly –safe then. For the time being. My mind seemed to work on autopilot as my feet tiredly dragged across the ground, moving in a direction I wasn’t entirely sure about. I couldn’t focus; every thought that popped up in my head vanished before I could grasp it. Everything was hazy and distant; the whole world spun around me and challenged me to keep my balance.

A somewhat lucid thought stayed in my mind long enough for me to realize where I was going. I smiled, hopeful, when I was received with a warm comforting sensation at the thought of him.

Turned out I didn’t technically lie to Aurelio, I just took a detour. A long, torturous and traumatic detour. I would have gone to him in the garage, but I didn’t really want to get him in trouble. Besides, I felt safer there with John. It was that stupid connection I felt with him, like I was drawn to him. So I kept walking to his house, glad that I remembered his address from back when I investigated him. But overall, relieved it wasn’t too far from there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who read my imagine 'We're Even' (linked on the first chapter of Fate Is Sealed), you'll realize this is pretty much it with a few things changed to better fit Elizabeth and the current situation of this story.

I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Even as I clutched my side, which was still gushing blood and threatened to kill me. Even when it was my only option because not even the Continental was a safe place anymore, knowing them to have broken the rules before. Even then, I couldn’t believe I was standing there at the front door.

I raised my arm, my knuckles hovering over the door as I hesitated to knock. Our relationship was too complicated, what if he refused to help me? What if he told me on everyone? Even worse, what if he finished the job? He probably held grudges for what I did when we first met, even if I had tried to undo those mistakes. I hoped it was just my feverish mind and that I was wrong, that the tension I felt between us was only in my mind.

My frantic train of thought was interrupted when a loud groan escaped my lips as the pain from my gunshot wound suddenly worsened by ten times. My vision became blurry and I limply fell against the door, struggling to stay on my feet and gasping for air.

The soft thud of my body hitting the door brought attention to my presence, as a barking started inside the house. I grit my teeth and straightened up as much as I could, forsaking the support that the door provided me with and instead having to hold my own weight, even if my legs threatened to buckle underneath me.

“What’s wrong, buddy?” A voice said from inside the house, causing me to swear under my breath. Footsteps grew closer as I spotted a figure through the glass.

The front door opened just as I noticed I had stained it with a bloody handprint.

“Hey” I breathed out, gulping while I swayed in place. “Long time no see”

It had been less than a day, but that moment at Aurelio’s shop felt distant and surreal.

I observed John as he blankly watched me. His black hair framed his stern brown eyes. He was wearing a casual white T-shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants. I stupidly grinned at the realization that I just saw the Boogeyman in his pijamas. Maybe it was just the blood loss, which was making me delirious.

Noticing John’s silence, I forced myself to say something. My mind worked slowly, but I managed to blurt out some sort of apology to lighten up the mood and hopefully ease his vexation.

“Sorry to disturb your peace and quiet, John” I breathed out, still clutching the bleeding wound in my side. “I didn’t know where else to go” 

“Elizabeth” John gulped and clenched his jaw. “What happened?” 

I took my time to answer, trying to regain my breath and focusing all my strength in staying conscious. Everything seemed too bright, but I couldn’t tell if it was because all the walls were white and contrasted with the darkness of the night or because of my feverish state.

“Business gone… wrong…” My knees finally buckled, but John was ready and he caught me in his arms before I could hit the floor. 

I frowned, helplessly leaning against his chest and trying to hold on to his shoulders for support. I opened my mouth to speak but found that I had no strength to speak not a single world. John piped up anyhow.

“Were you followed?” He brought me inside the house and kicked the door so it would close behind him.

“N-No” I managed through grit teeth, now struggling to stay awake. “I made… sure…” 

My strength failed me once more and John decided to completely scoop my form into the safety of his arms. It was a great relief not to have to stand on my own.

I hadn’t noticed there was another presence there, but the barking from before continued as John carried me further into his home. Two pair of paws followed after us while John hurried into the bedroom.

I closed my eyes, tiredly leaning my head against his shoulder. It seemed to somewhat stabilize me and stop everything from spinning around me. Despite our history, I felt incredible safe at that moment, his very presence being like a silent promise that everything would be okay.

When he gingerly laid me on the bed, the thought that I would get blood everywhere popped up in my head. I was most definitely delirious, worrying about his sheets while I was literally bleeding out.

“Don’t move, I’ll be right back” John squeezed my shoulder before rushing off, allegedly to get a first aid kit. I immediately missed his comforting presence, but was too exhausted to call him back to me.

I got slightly startled when a soft weight fell on the bed and I looked to see the pitbull, cautiously moving closer to me. He whimpered, watching me writhing in pain and groaning, and licked my face. Somewhat endeared at such pure gesture, I weakly smiled, although I softly pushed the animal away.

John returned, his bare feet thumping against the wooden floor. Noticing my eyes were closed in exhaustion, I opened them to see him scattering the contents of the first aid kit across the bed.

Through heavy-lid eyes I watched him move, calm and efficient, as he pushed my hands aside to take a look at my wound. My hand heavily fell on his shoulder, earning a glance and a raised eyebrow from him.

“I… wasn’t sure… if you’d…” My eyes closed again, but I felt him tapping my cheek.

“Hey, stay awake” His deep voice seemed to echo around the room as he broke his silence. “If I’d what?”

It took me a few seconds to figure out he was going back to what I had just said. It was so hard to focus, and sleeping seemed so cozy at that moment. I was so very tired and just wanted the excruciating pain to stop.

“That you would… help me” I breathed out, wincing when he pressed something against my wound that stung like hell.

“Why not?” I tried to find any emotions in his voice –concern, anger, pity, contempt, fear –but it was flat and neutral.

“I tried to kill you” I replied with an attempt of a sarcastic smile.

“And you didn’t” His eyes briefly met with mine, but he quickly resumed his task.

I couldn’t help a chuckle despite my pain and weakness. Ever since I ambushed him, I still wasn’t sure if that was the right call or if it was a mistake not to kill him. But if it was the reason why I didn’t get John Wick against me and instead led me to that moment, maybe it was a good decision.

“You were shot?” He suddenly asked me, and it took me a bit again to comprehend the words again.

“I…” I gasped, feeling that speaking was exhausting. “O-Out”

John gave me a nod, and I was glad to see understood what I meant and I didn’t need to elaborate. I shut my eyes tight, though, when I realized that it also meant that he needed to stitch it since I had pulled the bullet out. I didn’t exactly remember when I did it, but I had heard the clinking noise it made when I dropped it.

“You really meant it then” I hissed when I felt the cold needle piercing my skin. “W-We’re… even” 

“In fact, I owed you one” I could have sworn there was a hint of playfulness in his voice.

“That’s right, I forgot…” My eyes closed themselves once more, and I decided to rest them for a bit. “History repeats itself, huh”

“In this world, it often does” He suddenly sounded so far away, his voice fading out into the void. “Elizabeth? Shit, stay awake!”

I wanted to do what he said, but I was too comfortable in the painless pit of darkness that was engulfing me.

 

 

I was surrounded by red. My heart beat quickly, pumping blood so violently that it resonated against my ears. My fingers pulled the trigger, and the sound was so loud that each time it felt like I was hitting a drum, but maybe that was my heart thumping in my chest still. Pure adrenaline traveled through my veins, clouding my thoughts and replacing them with pure instinct and muscle memory. Like an animal, like a predator.

I cringed, tensing up and jolting up at the sound of myself screaming. It was all I could fathom now. Screaming, gunshots. Fear, pain. Blood.

I gasped, startling myself awake, unable to breathe. I opened my eyes to be received with brown eyes laced with alarm, framed by a curtain of dark hair. I breathed in relief when I recognized his face.

“It’s okay, you’re safe” John whispered softly, even if his hands were tightly wrapped around my wrists. Assuming I jolted awake and squirmed, I lightly tugged at his grip and he released me.

It took me a moment to recall the latest events and understand what happened and where I was, but as soon as I did, a wave of relief washed through me.

“Oh, fuck…” I breathed out, finding myself extremely weak and my head spinning once more.

“You alright?” He asked, sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving me.

“Y-Yeah, I think so…” I lifted the hem of my shirt to reveal the bullet wound in my side, now clean and stitched closed. It still throbbed, but at least it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

“I healed your arm too” At first, I frowned at John’s words, but then I remembered that I got stabbed there. Craning my neck to look at the wound in my arm, I saw that it was bandaged too.

I was still full of bruises everywhere, and my face felt a bit swollen near the temple. But I felt much better now that my stab wound and my bullet wound were taken care of. I felt tightness in my face that told me he covered the cuts in my cheek and eyebrow too.

“Thanks, John” I told him, pouring as much honesty into my words as I could. “Really, thank you”

I watched him carefully, wondering why he allowed me in and even went through all the trouble to treat the wounds for me. Even though I had done the same thing for him once. Everything would be so much easier if I could read something in the blank canvas that was his face.

“I didn’t mean to bring you into this” I muttered, seeing as he was quiet and refused eye contact now, despite my staring.

“I can handle it” 

“I know you can” 

“Good”

Uncomfortable with his silence, I slowly sat up. I knew John was a man of few words, but I was so puzzled and intrigued by his behavior that I wanted some sort of explanation. A clear sign that he didn’t hold grudges against me, that he didn’t feel obligated to help me and it was a decision based on his opinion on me. On his… feelings.

“Rest” He softly pushed me back against the pillows, placing one strong hand on the side of my head in what I thought was a comforting gesture. “You’re safe here”

I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want to impose, that I was better and I could leave already. That I didn’t want to take up his bed and be an unwanted presence in his house. However, I pursed my lips when I recognized that harshness in his eyes that admitted no argument.

Satisfied when I didn’t try to sit up again, John nodded and stood from the edge of the bed.

“John” I held him by the hand before he could leave. He looked me over his shoulder. “Why… Why did you help me?”

“I told you, I owed you” Any warmth that might have been present in his voice when he told me to rest was now gone. “ _Now_  we’re even”

I let out a sarcastic chuckle to hide how much the impact and bluntness of his words hurt.

“So that’s why” I angrily let go of him. “It’s nice to see where we stand”

John turned around, completely facing me, and towered over me. He observed me for a moment, the dark harshness in his glance softening slightly.

“How did this happen?”

“I was adamant and angry” I gulped at the memory of the confrontation. “And kind of reckless…”

“You’re better than that”

“No, I’m not”

Another silence settled in the room, and I stirred in the spot until he spoke up again.

“What I meant is…” He averted his eyes for a moment, I couldn’t tell if in annoyance or resignation. However, I did know he pretended he didn’t hear me. “Who did this to you?”

“You don’t want to know” I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh, utterly exhausted. “You’re involved enough already”

“That’s cute” John chuckled, surprising me so much that I opened my eyes to look at him. He bore a sarcastic expression.

I sat up again and supported my weight in my elbow even if my arm was shaking and begging me to lie down again. Despite the icy glare he threw me, I maintained eye contact.

“I know you can handle it, Boogeyman” I poured venom in my words, offended by his patronizing demeanor. “That doesn’t mean I want to drag your ass into something that’s not your fucking business”

His glare only hardened at my words and my tone, but I held his gaze. I expected anger from him, but he just lingered in the tense silence.

Noticing I had used my bad arm to lean on the bed, a strangled grunt of pain tore my throat and I collapsed back on the bed, breathing heavily from that needless effort.

“Rest” John repeated sternly, covering me with a blanket. “I don’t want to see you up”

With that, he walked away, leaving me with the only company of his pitbull, who sat at the feet of the bed. I suppressed the urge to call out for John and ask him to stay with me, to provide me with his protective company. But I doubted he would even glance back at me if I did. And I… I didn’t want him to stay with me anyway.

 

 

I didn’t know how long it had passed or when did I fall asleep –I didn’t even remember going to sleep, I must have been too exhausted –but when I next awoke, it was almost bright outside. The sun was high, illuminating the room through the window.

The house was quiet except for the distant sound of oil splattering and dishes clinging. John must have been in the kitchen, so I decided to go and meet with him despite his wishes.

Hoping he wouldn’t lecture me for it, I sat up. I took my time, taking a few deep breaths, to swing my legs over the bed and stand up. I was instantly received with a head rush, and a barking sound close to me informed me of the dog’s concern for my wellbeing when I dangerously swayed.

“I’m okay, buddy” Still recovering from the dizziness, I blindly moved my hand to pet his head. “I’m fine”

Patiently waiting until I felt stable again, I touched my side and my arm to analyze the evolution of my wounds. I was profoundly relieved to find no blood in my palm. I hadn’t bled through the bandages.

I followed the delicious aroma of eggs and bacon into the kitchen, where John was just finishing serving the breakfast in two plates. He didn’t look at me, but his shoulders tensed ever so slightly at my presence.

“I told you I didn’t want to see you up” He said, still not making eye contact.

“That’s too bad” I sarcastically replied, subtly eyeing the food. “I have no intention on lying down again”

John turned his head to finally look at me and pursed his lips a little. He leaned both hands on the counter, watching me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

“They’re still after you, and now you’re injured” He paused, almost waiting for me to object. “You can just stay here”

“You already paid your debt” Unable to ignore my groaning stomach, I grabbed two pieces of bacon off the plate for later, earning the smallest of smirks to show up on his face. “Besides, I’m no John Wick, but I can handle it”

That said, I wanted nothing more to do with him. I wanted to stay, I really did, but I wouldn’t. I refused his charity, it made me feel like he was reluctant to help me. Like after all we had been through together, he only saw me as pending business.

I had truly believed that sweet John Wick that comforted me that time was still somewhere in there, that he had a tender side no one knew about and that I had been lucky enough to get a peek of. And when he didn’t think twice to help me, basically saving my life, and healing my wounds and letting me rest in the safety of his home… I thought he was allowing that side of him to shine  _because_ of our history and our connection. However, it all crumbled when he said ‘I owed you’.

Finding it too painful to meet with his eyes again, I began walking to the front door. Before I could, though, a hand firmly clasped around my good arm, stopping me in my tracks. John was suddenly very close to me, breathing heavily.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Elizabeth” Were his only words, he knew I was too stubborn to stay. “You’re better than that”

He spoke slowly, wanting every word to sink in. The intensity of his glance only backed up their importance.

I showed him a sad smile, thinking back to a conversation we once had. He thought he knew me better than anyone, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe that was what bothered me so much, the possibility that he did, that he saw through me.

“Maybe I’m not” I broke free from his grasp, sending him an intense glance in return.

I walked to the door with determination, feeling his eyes burning holes in my nape. I opened it and turned around to look at him one last time. My chest tightened thinking that I might never see John again, but things were too complicated to stay.

“Don’t worry, John” I said, stepping outside. “If I get hurt, I won’t be bothering you again”

He tilted his head to the side in some sort of warning, but I continued talking when he opened his mouth to reply, interrupting him before he could start speaking.

“We’re even now, aren’t we?” I bitterly smiled at him, waving goodbye.

“Elizabeth…” John clicked his tongue, taking a few steps forward.

I shut the door loudly, already walking away from the house and noticing an emptiness filling my chest.

“Elizabeth!” I heard him calling me, stubborn, from inside the house. But I was already gone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you will all enjoy this chapter since it has more John x Elizabeth action, let me know! Remember to leave kudos and comments if you want. Thanks for sticking around so far! ❤

Looking into the mirror might have been a mistake, especially it being the first thing I did once I was home. I grimaced with every single bruise I found in my reflection. The cat-like scratches on my cheek, the cut in my eyebrow, the purple bruise in my temple. It only got worse when I checked the stab wound in my upper arm, so I only looked at my covered bullet wound to make sure I wasn’t bleeding through the bandages.

It only dawned down on me that John had said ‘don’t do anything stupid’ when I was in the supposed safety and stillness of my empty house. As I absently healed my peeled knuckles, that he had missed, I realized what he meant.

Maybe it was _his_ way of doing things, but I wasn’t going to go back and get my revenge. Part of me definitely wanted to get Simone back for all the pain she had inflicted on me, physical or otherwise. Still, the other part of me knew that it was a mistake that our encounter happened on the first place.

The silence in my house was killing me. I tried to drown it out with some classical music that would also accompany me while I cleaned up the messy state it had been left in. I was glad that John’s ‘friends’ had at least gotten rid of all the blood. But they hadn’t touched the furniture on the ground nor the broken glass amongst other things.

When the tidying up sunk me too much into my own mind, I dropped it and moved on to something else instead. Something to distract me from everything, to relax. Like a shower, or cooking, or TV. Just anything.

Days passed with that routine, and each one seemed worse. Aurelio called the second day since Simone almost killed me. I was sure he heard from John, because I refused to tell him so he could lecture me and say how disappointed he was on my reckless behavior. When we talked I felt bad and realized what a shitty move that was, so I apologized. I just… I was a mess, and felt like I couldn’t make the right decisions anymore.

The fourth day since then, something broke the routine. A knock on the door. And this time I had a pretty good idea of who was at the other side.

I opened it and glared at John. I was surprised to see him out of his suit. This time he wore dark jeans, boots, a black t-shirt with a V-neck and a brown leather jacket. I got mad at myself when a tiny voice in my head pointed out how attractive he looked. Suit or not.

He opened his mouth, but I shook my head to refuse his words.

“Stop showing up at my house and take the hint” I told him, swinging the door closed. “You’re not welcome here”

Keeping calm, John slammed a big hand against the door to keep it open. The memory of the last time something similar happened made me shudder.

“You don’t have anything to prove” He dedicated me a tired glance. “And neither do I”

“What are you talking about?”

He came inside, softly closing the door behind him so it barely even made a sound. When he turned back to me, his eyes seemed to scan me before he continued.

“I know that’s why you left the garage, to prove you’re strong”

“No, I left the garage because I needed to do something” Denying him any proper eye contact, I faced my back to him and began walking up the stairs to my room. “Maybe you’re the one that wanted to prove something”

“I don’t” John didn’t think twice to follow after me.

“Then why were you keeping the score?” I stopped at the last step for a moment, absently holding on to the railing and facing him completely. He bowed his head down in return.

If I didn’t know better, I would have said my attitude rattled him. He behaved almost… meek. John Wick. Being meek. That concept was wild to me.

“Because it was easier than to admit that I was vulnerable” He muttered, showcasing the most genuine and honest expression when he cautiously looked at me. “But I’m done counting”

I was glad that my hand was over the railing, because I suddenly felt a bit shaken up. I clicked my tongue in annoyance, especially when that warmth spread over my chest.

I wanted to stay mad at him for everything. For shutting me down, for being condescending when I assumed he only meant to protect me. For getting me into this mess, for… for driving me crazy!

But I couldn’t, I just was not able to hate him. Even at the beginning, I never hated him. He was the only person in this business who trully seemed kind-hearted deep down, despite it all. I could never hate him, especially when there was such a kind and gentle look in his eyes. When his brows furrowed ever so slightly with an apologetic look that nearly reminded me of a puppy. How did the man standing before me have anything to do with the Boogeyman again? I would have never thought he was capable of such softness.

I exhaled, realizing I had been holding my breath, when I figured out the answer to all my questions. I couldn’t speak for the man he was before, but I was pretty sure that I was getting to know the one before me at that moment.

And there was a common denominator in both of us. Something that moved us while it also tortured us. Something that made us human in spite of it all. Pain. Grief. Sorrow. All those emotions that brought us closer while also pushing us away from each other.

John had given up that life. He had devoted himself to his wife, to his brand new life. Until she was taken from him. Until some brat decided to have fun by killing his dog, by stealing his car. Then all that pain, grief and sorrow turned to anger. And I used to think that was who he really was.

Until he spared me in return for my mercy. Until we connected when he came for me for help. And he protected me and saved my life when they ambushed my home. When he comforted me when I felt hopeless. When he offered me his house as a safe haven. How he was standing right there to apologize and let me know he actually cared despite all he said about being indebted to me, because it wasn’t true. He did it because it was the right thing to do, because he wanted to do it. Because he cared.

“Liz?” His voice was barely a whisper. I smiled warmly at him.

“You’re done counting…” My sweet smile turned into a smirk. “You’re better than that, huh?”

Much to my surprise, John grinned too. It was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. So authentic and pure that it took my breath away. And to think that I was responsible for it was… wonderful.

Me being in a higher step that he was saved the height difference so I was at eye level with him. In fact I was now, for the first time, slightly taller than him. My smirk widened at the thought.

We leaned in closer, or lips being dangerously close to one another. My pulse skyrocketed when we stopped, freezing the moment in time.

“Did you just call me Liz?” I teased him, although genuinely shocked by it.

“Yeah…” He shrugged a little, still smiling. “It just came out like that”

“I like it” I broke the minimal distance between us and went for his lips.

His arms flew around me, hands resting in my back and bringing me closer. I clung on to him, holding on to his shoulders, and melted into the kiss.

He suddenly broke away, even if his arms lingered around me. There was guilt reflected in his eyes, and I brought my hands back to caress his fingers. I felt the cold metal on his middle finger.

“I can’t…” John uttered lowly, looking anywhere but into my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, John” I felt guilty myself. I should have been more empathetic, understand what he must have been through after his wife’s passing was still painful for him. “And I’m sorry about your w-“

He pushed me closer to him, holding me tight against his chest. His embrace was enveloping and comforting, it felt like home. _He_ felt like home.

A delightful shiver traveled down my spine when his lips gently kissed my head. We stood there for several seconds, too comfortable to move.

“I’m sorry” John suddenly whispered, making me pull away.

“Hey, I get it” Growing aware of the fact that we hadn’t moved from the top of the stairs and he might be feeling a bit claustrophobic with me in that small space, I walked up into the upper floor.

“It’s not that I don’t… want you” Like he did before, he was right behind me. “I just…”

“John, it’s alright” Cautiously reaching out for his hand, I showed him my best smile. “I understand, okay?”

His fingers gently wrapped around my hand, and he gave me a somber nod.

“Good” Not letting go of him, I took him to the room with me. “Now let’s relax for a while, alright? I think we’ve both earned it”

He followed in silence, probably immersed in his own thoughts. He must have been feeling so conflicted, with so many contradictory emotions.

“Wait” John spoke up just as we made it to my room. “You’re not safe here”

I shrugged, not really knowing how to respond to that. In spite of it all, it was still my house. I had nowhere else to go.

“The offer still stands” He paused, so I glanced over to him. “Even if you’re not hurt anymore”

“Oh, I’m hurt” I slightly felt bad when his expression turned to worry, but I placed a hand against my chest anyway. “I’m hurt right here”

“Elizabeth…” John only said, sending me a disapproving look.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I want you to be safe”

“Are you saying I can’t take care of myself?”

“No, I think you’ve proved that” Knowing what I was doing, he subtly covered his mouth with his hand for a moment to hide his grin. “You’ve done a great job surviving on your own so far”

While his words were honest, there was a clear double meaning in there. Sure, I had survived, but I had also gotten in trouble, whether my fault entirely or not.

I smiled a little, and he did too, not hiding it now.

“Fine” I crouched down and pulled a gym bag from under the bed. “Let me grab a few things first”

To be honest, I would be lying to him and to myself if I said I didn’t feel safer with him. Besides, his house was bigger and probably more armed than mine.

“Sure” John tried to help by picking up a few things lying around that he thought I could need for a short but unknown stay away, like deodorant or my hair comb, and put them in the bag too.

As we worked together to fill it with the essentials, I promised myself to stay with him only until I had calmed down a bit. Maybe a few hours away would be enough to make me forget about the latest events.

Once done, John walked outside the house with me, where I spotted a black car. A beautiful, expensive looking car.

“Holy…” I muttered, absently fixing the handle of the bag over my shoulder and passing a hand through the hood of the vehicle. “This your car?”

“Yes” He walked up to the driver seat and opened the door. “Get in”

I felt strange looking at his car, aware of the fact that we were so different. Sure, my bike was pretty expensive too, but… I had seen John’s house, it was classy and it only reminded me of the gap that separated us, despite our connection. Besides, even if I was attracted to John and he seemed to reciprocate, it felt like we might be moving too fast.

“I…” I looked at him from the other side of the car, our eyes meeting over the surface of the roof. “I’m not sure if…”

“Get in the car, Elizabeth” He insisted with a small smile, climbing in himself.

He was right, of course. It was a matter of safety, nothing more. So I got in the car with John.

 

 

John’s house was pretty much how I remembered it. Except that this time the white walls didn’t hurt my sensitive vision and the floor did feel stable under my feet.  

I got startled by an unexpected sound, but relaxed when I saw the dog running to greet us. I grinned and immediately went to pet him, absently letting John take my bag.

“Hi, little guy!” I greeted him too, scratching his head.

The pitbull sniffed at me in caution, despite the fact that his tail was wagging wildly. I held my hands up, letting the dog recognize me.

“It’s okay, boy” John said in a calm order. “She’s gonna stay with us for a while”

Almost as if to express his content with the statement, the dog barked loudly. I calmed him by petting him again, gladly giving him all the affection he demanded.

“I should probably fill his bowl” John muttered just as I straightened up and forgot about the cute dog. “He probably ate all his food already”

“Okay” I retrieved my bag, even if earning a glance from John.

I assumed his intentions were to be a gentleman and carry it for me to the bedroom, where I could get changed into the pijamas I packed. But for the time being, I preferred staying in my streets clothes.

“Make yourself at home” John motioned with his arm to the depths of the house, giving me freedom to walk around it.

“Thanks” I replied, awkwardly heading for the living room. 

I smiled when he walked away, because the dog ran after him.

Too curious to pass the opportunity, I let my eyes wander around the house. It was clean and tidy, spotless in fact. A really nice house that made me feel welcome.

I walked around the living room for a moment, curiously looking around the nifty place. It somehow yelled John Wick with every detail I noticed.

Something piqued my interest, so I walked closer to it. My heart seemed to sink to my stomach when I noticed several framed photos on a shelf. It was John, looking the happiest I had ever seen him, and a woman. That had to be his wife. She was beautiful, and seemed extremely kind-hearted.

“Here” I was so deep in thought that he startled me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”

“I didn’t hear you get closer” I nervously chuckled, noticing he had something in his hands.

“I made you hot chocolate” There was a certain and endearing shyness to him as he handed it to me, not meeting my eyes. “Since you don’t like alcohol”

“That’s so… Thank you” I took it, our fingers gracing ever so slightly.

I wrapped my hands around the warm mug and sniffed its content, smiling at the delightful smell. I decided to wait until it got cold, in the meantime looking up at John. He was looking at the photos too.

“You must miss her” I whispered, worried that it might upset him.

“I do” Was all he said, though his eyes spoke volumes about his loss.

“I… John, you don’t have to do any of this”

“I want to” His eyes moved from the photo to me, still with fondness on them. “Just take it slow”

“Sure” I kindly rubbed his arm. “Take your time”

“Come sit down” His hand fell on the small of my back, gently inviting me to move. “Get comfortable”

We both went to the living room, where we sat down in the white couch next to each other. Not a sound filled the house. I softly blew on my mug and took a sip of the hot chocolate that filled me with comforting warmth.

I cautiously snuggled closer to John’s side, and I was relieved when he put an arm over my shoulders. It felt nice and casual and just… right.

I tensed up a bit when I heard something in the distance, perhaps coming from the kitchen. I glanced at John, but he wasn’t bothered by it.

“What’s that noise?” I asked him, since he definitely heard it too.

“The dog eating” When he looked down at me, there was a hint of a smile.

“Oh” I chuckled too, feeling a little silly. “What’s his name, by the way?”

“I… He doesn’t have one”

“What? Did you just get him?”

“I… I just can’t think of one”

“You should name him!” I rummaged my brain for ideas, even if they could be cliché dog names like Baxter. I just wanted the doggy to have a name. “How about…?”

When I trailed off, John watched me in curiosity. He cocked an eyebrow at the fact that I was thinking a name for his dog.

“Oh, I got it! How about Buddy?” I grinned, thinking it appropriate. “It’s pretty cute, and you already call him that sometimes so he won’t have a problem adjusting”

“Buddy” John frowned in concentration, seriously considering it. “I like it”

“There you go” I shrugged, taking another sip of my hot chocolate.

“Simple and charming” He added, squeezing me against him.

“Like me” I chuckled, especially when he looked at me like that again.

“You’re not all that simple, Elizabeth” John muttered, shoving me even closer against his chest.

“I can be” I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, embracing the protectiveness that exuded from him.

In all honesty, I had never felt safer. John had a way of making me feel vulnerable but also strong. Protected and exposed. Like he could see through my façade but didn’t mind it because he enjoyed the layers under it.

A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over me. The thought occupied my mind that, while it was only my second time there, I was suddenly feeling more at home than in my own house.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly about John and Elizabeth, as well as her backstory, and it evolves their relationship a bit (warning: lots of flirting). I hope you enjoy it, remember to comment if you'd like!

I opened my eyes and found myself in a strange place. But, wait… I had been there before. Was that… John’s room, his bed? Right, I was at his house. I was so exhausted that I probably fell asleep without realizing. On John’s shoulder too, which brought sudden butterflies to my stomach. 

Feeling fully rested, I decided to get up since it was clearly well into the day. As soon as I swung my legs over the bed and set my feet on the floor, I heard the sound of paws against the wood. I smiled at the little pitbull when he came into the room.

“Hello” I laughed a little when he jumped onto the bed and wished me good morning. “Who’s a good boy?”

“Buddy here let me know you were awake” John was leaning against the door frame, but this time I didn’t get scared by his stealthy ways.

“Buddy?” A big smile took over my face at the reminder of last night’s conversation. “So you did like the name then”

“And he did too” John’s brown eyes fell over the dog as he pushed his snout against my hand, asking for more pets.

As all response, I absently petted Buddy while John went to sit down in the bed with me. The dog sat between us, lying down closest to his master.

“Did you sleep well?” John asked me, a certain tenderness present in his voice.

“Yeah!” I passed a hand through my hair when I thought it was probably disheveled and messy. “I didn’t sleep this well in… well, a really long time”

He nodded his head, our gazes locked. I felt that attraction again, that connection that I now recognized in his eyes too. I had an impulse to scoot closer to him and wrap my arms around his neck, to connect my lips with his.

However, and preferring to let him take the first step since he was the one still getting over his wife’s death, I didn’t move from my spot.

My heart rate quickened when his eyes lowered to my lips. It was a subtle and quick gesture, blink and you miss it, but I caught it. I chuckled when his eyes returned to mine in alarm.

“Why don’t you stop lovingly staring at me and kiss me already?” I encouraged him, acquiring a flirtatious and somewhat playful tone.

John smiled beautifully again, leaning closer until our lips were mere inches away from each other. The breath caught in my throat when I felt his warm mouth against mine, his beard gently scratching against my skin.

It was just a peck, although passionate and sweet, and he backed away soon. It left me craving more, but I was willing to be patient. I myself had still to wrap my head around the concept of the two of us being together.

Buddy sat up and looked from John to me, wagging his tail and silently asking us to focus our attention on him instead of each other. We both ignored him for the moment.

“If we’re really doing this” John patted the dog’s back, even if his eyes lingered on me. “It would help to know more about each other”

“Fair enough” I accommodated in the bed, resting my back against the headboard and leaving enough space for John next to me. “How about I explain my outburst from the other day?”

Ever since that day I had felt the need to tell him what triggered it. It wasn’t only what had happened, but _why_ it had happened as well. And maybe it wasn’t even about sharing it with John, but just about getting that weight off my shoulders once and for all. Telling someone I trusted about it. And I trusted John.

“Only if you want to” He sat down in the spot to my left. “If you do, I’m ready to hear it”

I nodded, taking a deep breath and preparing to tell him what I had never told anyone. Not even Aurelio. Well, he knew already anyway. Not in depth, but he knew most of it.

Slightly overwhelmed, I looked at John, who encouraged me with a head nod.

“It was the first time I shot someone… Or at least that I shot to kill” A frown formed in my brow and my throat became dry all of a sudden. “And the first time someone tried to kill me like that, I… Well, I mean that…”

Noticing my struggle, John nodded again. He knew what I meant, basically that I wasn’t used to that level of violence like he was. That even though I had been ambushed before, I never actually had to fight for my life. Until that day.

“So I… just… broke down…” An awkward chuckle escaped my lips, and even if I could feel him watching intently I didn’t feel strong enough to reciprocate. “It was like… all that was wrong with my life suddenly came back all at once, you know?”

My voice had become shaky, and John didn’t hesitate to put an arm over my shoulders. His hand rested over my upper arm, gently rubbing it to comfort me.

“And…” Once I had started talking, I felt myself unable to stop. “It was too much, I couldn’t handle it… I just wanted it all to stop…”

“You said you hated ‘him’…” John spoke lowly, almost like he was scared to break the quiet atmosphere. “Were you talking about Stoakes or about me?”

I frowned for a moment, because I didn’t remember saying that. But to be fair, I didn’t really remember anything that I said during my breakdown.

With a bitter smile, I finally looked into his eyes. John arched his eyebrows, attentive about my response.

“Neither” I sighed, sad that he also considered himself a possible culprit given that he had saved my life. “I was talking about my father”

“Your… father?” John watched me, puzzled, although gave me an opportunity to explain.

“Yeah… He was an assassin too, that’s how I got into this mess. My mom died when I was little, so it was just us” A lump formed in my throat when I had to dig into the past. “My father kept sneaking out to work, never stopped working”

A tense silence settled as I dug deeper into my painful memories.

“He wasn’t really a bad father… He bought me my motorbike, and I spent the last of my money trying to fix it when it got trashed but… Because of his job… I had a terrible childhood, I was always alone and scared. And all of this is his fault… If he had stopped working, he wouldn’t have died! And then Gaige wouldn’t be insisting that I pay the debt he left when he got himself killed” I let out a sarcastic chuckle. “That’s how I found out, too. Gaige looked for me and claimed my money, saying that I was the only one left now to pay”

“I’m sorry” I had almost forgotten John was there with me, but it was comforting when he gently pushed me against him. “What was his name?”

“Thomas” Anger burned within me as tears prickled my eyes. I furiously wiped them with my palm. “Thomas Dawson”

“I knew him” John muttered, his gruff voice close to me. “But I didn’t know he died. How did it happen?”

“I…”

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer”

“No, it’s okay…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, he… I think it was during a job that went wrong. I was sixteen…” I bit hard on my bottom lip, remembering the worst week of my life. “My father had left a will and I could pay Gaige some of the money, so he left me alone for a few years… But then he wanted the rest of it… Like my father dying wasn’t bad enough…”

“I am so sorry, Elizabeth…” His voice was dripping with true empathy.

I didn’t reply. I just tried to calm myself and stop the tears from falling. In spite of it all, it felt good to talk about it. To actually tell someone and not carry that burden alone, trapped in my heart. John was also very understanding and supportive, so that helped too.

The silence was only filled with the sound of me sobbing and sniffing. Buddy, who was in the bed with us, tilted his head as his small black eyes worriedly focused on me.

“What’s this?” John’s big hands took my arm, with his fingers delicately gracing the tattoo on the inside of my forearm.

“Audaces fortuna iuvat” I quickly replied, happy about the subject change. “I got it when I was like… nineteen or so”

“What does it mean?”

“Fortune favors the brave”

“I know the Latin, what does it mean to _you_?”

“A reminder” My gaze went from the words etched in my skin back to him. “To be brave and push through, no matter what”

John nodded slowly, seemingly in a pensive mood. His fingers never stopped tracing up and down the inside of my arm, sending pleasant shivers up my back.

“And the one in your side?” My free hand immediately flew to that very spot.

When I glared at him, cocking an eyebrow, John smiled a little.

“I saw it when I was patching you up that one time” He explained calmly. “I wouldn’t have expected you to have any tattoos”

“That one is a compass, I got it when I was much younger, soon after my father died” I rolled my eyes at my younger self. “You know, I felt lost so I wanted something symbolic and all that crap”

John remained quiet, making me wonder if he was uncomfortable because of my candor. I stirred against him, getting more comfortable, and changed the subject a little.

“Do you have any tattoos, John?” Looking up at him, I was surprised to notice he seemed in deep thought.

“Uh, yeah…” My question forced him back to reality, focusing his eyes on me instead of on Buddy, who I was sure he wasn’t truly watching. “On my back”

“What does it say?”

“Fortis fortuna adiuvat: Fortune favors the bold”

“Wow” I giggled, finally feeling the tension subsided. “One would think we would wait to get matching tattoos until after we met”

John laughed a little too, and it was the biggest I had seen him smile. The sight stirred something within me in the best of ways.

“Can I see it?” I excitedly asked, feeling very curious about it.

“No” Despite his stern voice, he was still smiling. “Some other time”

We sat there for hours, only talking. John opened up a little too, telling me about how his wife got sick. He explained that he had retired before marrying her but that this life claimed him back after she died. It was bittersweet to hear him because I empathized so much with him. But also, it was heartwarming to see that there was more to the Boogeyman. That he could care deeply, and that he was capable of love and so much more.

 

 

After a lot of chatting, John took me downstairs saying he wanted to show me something. Filled with curiosity, I followed him in silence. We moved to the other end of the house, with Buddy following close behind.

As we walked, I noticed his wide back. His shoulders were relaxed for the first time, and I smiled at the thought that I had something to do with this new demeanor of his.

“Do you have a secret passageway into a mysterious room?” I playfully said to break the silence, grinning at him.

“No” John blankly replied, briefly looking over his shoulder to me.

“Then what’s the point…” I rolled my eyes, making him smile a little.

“I do have an underground torture chamber” He said it so simply that I stopped dead in my tracks.

“I’m sorry, what?” I urged him, not even knowing how to react.

“I was joking” A soft smile plastered on his lips, ridding me of any doubts.

“Oh” Apparently John had a sense of humor, and a dark one too. I would have to get used to that.

That little smile never left his lips as he slowed down to stand next to me. I looked up at him and he cautiously put his arm over my shoulders.

When he looked ahead so did I, seeing that we stood before an open door that led to a big gym room with soft tatami floors. A smirk formed on my lips when I realized what was going through his head. I was up for that.

“I see” I walked into the room, turning around to be facing him and stepping backwards further into the gym. “Is this an excuse to have me close?”

John didn’t say anything in response, but his eyebrow arched slightly as he walked inside with me.

“Go on” Once he was in the middle of the room, he stood there and lifted his arms so his palms were facing me. “Hit me”

I opened my mouth to complain but in the end decided against it. After what happened with Simone, I could use some sparring for sure, especially if John was the sensei.

Using my whole body to swing, I threw my right fist against his hand. He didn’t bat an eye and encouraged me to do it again with a silent head nod. With the second one, however, John shook his head in disapproval.

“Stop trying to hit me and hit me” Was all he said, implying that I was holding back. I was, because I didn’t want that turn into a ‘try to hit John as hard as you can’ challenge.

I threw a few more punches, this time harder, and he seemed satisfied with my strength and technique. He had seen it for himself; I basically knew how to defend myself.

“How did you learn?” His deep voice was calm. Perhaps too calm, he might be up to something.

“Self-defense classes” I shrugged, trying to keep the memories that inevitably arrived to my brain at bay. “As well as some bad experiences and trial and error”

“Uh-huh” John was definitely plotting something; I could tell by the way his brown eyes looked me up and down.

“Why are we doing this anyway?” I feebly shifted my weight from one foot to the other, staring at him.

“To avoid this happening again” I winced when he gingerly touched the scratches across my cheek, even if his fingers barely graced my skin.

“Fine… Continue, Mr. Wick” I gestured with my hand to encourage him.

John nodded and moved behind me. He put a strong arm over my collarbones and locked me against him, pressing my back to his front.

“I got you locked” He tightly gripped my arm and secured the position. “How would you break free from it?”

“Easy, elbow where the sun don’t shine”

“Let’s see you do it then”

“No, I don’t wanna hurt you”

“There’s something they didn’t teach you in self-defense class”

“What’s that?”

John sighed behind me and dropped his arm, instead resting his hands on my hips and swiftly turning me around so we were facing each other. His arm wrapped around me once more, pushing me against his chest.

My heart started racing when I realized how close our lips were together and how he closed his eyes on an instinct. I held on to his shoulders, prepared for the kiss, when he suddenly stopped leaning in.

“To play dirty” He whispered, offering that warning alone.

“Huh?” Before I knew, he swept my leg and I was falling backwards.

I yelped as I lost balance, still holding on to him. John was kind enough, though, to still hold on to me and break my fall. Still, my back hit the mat with a thud and I grunted when I landed.

John was now on top of me, one of my legs between his as the one he swept was securely wrapped under his arm. He had me in a tight lock.

I breathed heavily, completely taken by surprise by his movement, as he watched me from his kneeling position. He leaned close to me, once again his lips tempting me with their closeness to mine.

“If you want to survive in the underworld” He muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear. “You need to play dirty sometimes”

“Fine, whatever” I tapped his shoulder like people did in martial arts. “Lesson learned: play dirty. Okay, I get it”

I felt a mixture of love and hatred towards him as he smirked, clearly aware of my flustered state and amused by it. I glared at him, but he delicately pulled the both of us to our feet. My pulse was still somewhat erratic once we both stood, still intimately close to each other.

Despite the height difference, John looked somewhat small and vulnerable as he looked down at me because of the subtle loving glance he was dedicating me. I smiled in spite of myself, taking that gesture as a silent apology.

“So” To torture him a little, I stepped away from him, pacing around the gym. “You’re teaching me to cheat, basically”

“I’m teaching you to do whatever you need to do in order to stay alive” John’s eyes attentively followed me. “There’s a difference”

“Because I need to learn how to play dirty”

“Ye-“ I interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

I yelped, grimacing as my hands flew to the bullet wound in my side. It was still healing, and even if John had been careful, I had hit the ground pretty hard.

Rid from all my strengths, I fell to the ground into a sitting position, shutting my eyes tight in pain as I still clutched the sore area.

“Liz!” In just a second, I heard John’s concerned voice next to me.

Still grimacing, I opened my eyes to look at him. I couldn’t contain a satisfied smirk as I tackled him to the ground and immobilized him, using all the weight of my body to pine him to the ground.

“Like this?” I asked him, watching the realization grow in his expression.

“Yeah” John sighed, as though he was out of breath. “Like that”

“Sorry” I innocently shrugged, leaning closer to him like he had before. Our noses were touching. “Couldn’t help myself”

A moment of silence followed. I sharply moved my head so all my hair stayed in one side, brushing against his cheek and tangling in his beard.

“Good job” John stated after several seconds of looking into each other’s eyes.

“Thank you” I proudly said, leaning back to give him some space.

I felt my cheeks burning when I realized I was quite literally straddling him. I hurried to get off him as fast as possible, but his arm wrapped around my waist and stopped me from doing it to sit me on his lap instead.

Locking eyes with him, I gulped at the intensity with which he stared back. I could read that dangerous look in them but I did not feel threatened this time.

It was the same look, but so many things had changed. I used to hate him, to fear him. I guessed there was a thin line between love and hatred, and between fear and love. Now I was still mildly scared, but for different reasons.

I wasn’t scared of him, but of me. Of my feelings, of my actions, of my impulses. Of the fact that I was starting to love him so much that it was frightening me. That the intense look he dedicated me was driving me crazy.

My mind raced, apparently trying to match with my heartbeat, as I questioned our relationships. Was he experiencing the same things? Was he scared of how much he loved me? Was he scared of what he would be capable to do for me?

All questions faded when his mouth made contact with mine. Then, all thoughts about our relationship were replaced with him. Just him.

Holding me up with one arm, John moved slowly to stand once again. I securely wrapped my arms around his neck as he maneuvered, holding on to him.

I lowly yelped with the height change, and when he softly hoisted me up to properly take hold of me, both of his hands moving to my legs around his torso. Our lips never broke away, hungrily moving in sync. My hands moved up to his nape, fingers digging in his soft dark hair as his gently squeezed my thighs.

We pulled away for oxygen, both panting as we looked into each other’s eyes. John smiled a little, infecting me with the gesture, and rested his forehead against mine.

“So much for sparring” I joked, playing with the ends of his hair.

“I think you got my point” He simply replied, casually shrugging.

I grinned and aimed back for his lips, which he gladly accepted.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More action again, and more backstory! Please remember to leave kudos, and especially comments, if you'd like. I really enjoy reading your opinions :)

After a very intense... make out session… I mean, sparring session, John and I showered and prepared to go to sleep. We argued over who would get the bed but decided to share it in the end.

When he walked back into the room, hair still wet from the shower, he was wearing only his sweatpants. I wondered if he was teasing me to get me back for ‘playing dirty’ before, exposing his bare chest like that.

I parted my lips to drop a sarcastic comment, but he stood with his back faced to me and pointed a thumb to his tattoo. I made an effort to focus on the ink and not on the defined muscles that moved under his skin. Or the many scars that covered it as well.

“Looks pretty cool” I commented, taking in all the details.

The Latin phrase we had previously talked about was right under his nape, written in simple uppercase letters. Under it there were praying hands with an ornate cross behind it. Then, on his right shoulder blade was a wolf howling and what seemed like a candle lit with fire on his left one.

“Thanks” He pulled out a shirt from the wardrobe he stood in front of and turned to me. “I got them a long time ago”

Before he could put the gray T-shirt on, I caught a glimpse of another cross in his upper arm. This one was simpler and colored in.

“You have terrible taste, you know?” I averted my gaze when I noticed a scar on his right shoulder, and a pang of culpability took over my stomach.

“Why?” Now dressed in his pijamas, John joined me in the bed.

“Because you chose the person who tried to kill you” No matter how much I missed the expressiveness of those beautiful brown eyes, I couldn’t meet with them again. “Of all people…”

“You still feel guilty about that?” He put an arm over my shoulders and attracted me to his side. “You did what you had to do”

“You’re not mad about it?”

“I would if you had been any good at it”

“Stop”

With the corner of my eye, I caught a hint of a smile on his lips. How did that even happen? How was I the one responsible for that grin?

Definitely teasing me, John playfully shook me, pushing me against his side. He let out a soft chuckle that forced me to peer at him in spite of myself.

When our eyes met, his lingered, watching me with so much attention and intensity that I scolded myself for being flustered by those brown eyes of his.

“What are you looking at?” I challenged him, smiling myself nonetheless.

“I can never tell what color your eyes are” John muttered, keeping our glances locked together.

“Take a closer look then” I cocked an eyebrow, piercing him with my glance as well.

He squinted, getting so close to me that our noses nearly touched. I could feel his warm breath in my skin, tempting me with the proximity of his lips again.

"Still can't tell" John shrugged and backed up, which was almost a relief.

If I didn’t know any better, I would think he was torturing me on purpose. I found him to be intoxicating but preferred to contain my impulses. I wanted him to take the first step since he was the one that needed time. Still, our interaction in the gym reminded me that he wanted me despite it all.

Instead of overthinking it, I got comfortable in the bed. I fought the impulse to get as close to him as humanly possible and lied on my side facing him. I closed my eyes, wondering how I would be able to sleep knowing he was so close to me and having my erratic heartbeat being a reminder of it.

I tensed up when his arm fell over me, but I didn’t move in fear that he had fallen asleep and done it subconsciously. His soft weight felt warm and protective.

“Elizabeth” I opened my eyes to look up at him and found with a sweet smile plastered on his lips as they met with mine. That smile that seemed permanent as long as I was around. “Goodnight”

I chuckled, deciding to scoot closer to him until my nose brushed against his shoulder, where I left a tiny kiss.

“Sweet dreams, John” I closed my eyes once again, unable to stop smiling.

My grin only widened when I felt how he leaned his head closer to mine.

 

 

First thing in the morning, I was woken up by the bright sunlight that filtered through the window. Lazily opening my eyes, I found with John’s peaceful expression.

I had snuggled closer to him in my sleep and now rested over his chest, his arm protectively wrapping around me as he kept me close. I smiled at the sight, although it sent a tingling feeling to my stomach.

Suddenly feeling restless, I carefully stood up and quickly changed into my jeans, sweater and boots. I felt a sudden urge to leave, to escape, and I couldn’t really tell why. I just needed to get some air and clear my head.

Buddy looked up at me, lying at the feet of the bed, as I gathered all my belongings into the bag. I took a look at John, profoundly asleep still, and sighed.

“Don’t worry, boy” I scratched the dog’s head. “I’ll be back”

I quickly scrawled a note on the bedside table for John with the words ‘don’t freak out, I just wanted to take a walk. See you soon, E.’ and left.

 

 

Thoughts boiled in my head as I inevitably arrived to the car shop. As I came in and looked for Aurelio, my mind drifted back to John. I didn’t want him to think I had been kidnapped or anything, and I hoped John would find the note and be at ease.

“Hey, loser” I called up when I spotted a familiar figure.

Aurelio instantly turned at the sound of my voice, cigarette in hand, and scoffed.

“Holy shit!” He threw his hands to the sky. “Thank you for blessing me with your presence, Lisa”

“Fine” I rolled my eyes at his dramatic welcoming. “Guess I deserve that”

“Yeah, you almost got killed and I was fortunate to get a call from you!”

“In my defense, I went through a lot of shit in a very short period of time”

“You sure did, love” To my surprise, Aurelio enveloped me in a warm hug.

“You really must have been worried, huh?” I smiled, endeared by my friend’s concern. He energetically patted my back before letting go of me.

“You better fucking believe it” He put his cigarette between his lips and held me by the elbows, taking a good look at me.

I averted my eyes when I grew very aware of all the visible bruises in my face that were still healing. Aurelio frowned in deep thought, lingering for a few seconds before letting go of me.

“You look like shit” He chuckled, nudging me a little. “As usual”

“Yeah, thanks” I leaned in a car with its hood up and shrugged.

“So what brings you here, stranger?” He took a long drag out of his cigarette and stared at me, almost trying to see through my carefree exterior.

“I don’t really know… I guess I wanted to see a friendly face”

“Isn’t John’s friendly enough? I thought you were pretty close now”

“I… Well, I guess, but…”

“Have you two-“

“Wow!” I interrupted him before he could carry on, recognizing the smug glint in his dark eyes. “Stop right there, you pervert”

“What?” He innocently replied, smirking at my definite blushing. “I’m curious!”

“Don’t be nosy, you asshole” I had to laugh a little, but I pushed him.

“That’s it then, huh?”

“No, smartass, that’s not it”

“Then what is it?”

“I… don’t know what to do”

“About what?”

“About anything”

I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by my own feelings. Aurelio was partially right; John and I were getting really close. Maybe too close, and he wasn’t the only one who needed to take things slow.

So many things had changed… I wasn’t still over the fact that we started out as enemies not that long ago. That he was a different person from what I believed him to be. That I was falling for the Boogeyman no less, and opening my heart to him. That, even if it was allegedly because of my safety, I had spent the night with John.

“What do you mean?” Realizing my struggle, my friend got serious.

“I don’t feel safe at home after what happened” I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. “And I feel safe with John, but…”

“It’s too much” Aurelio guessed, eyeing me carefully. “And it scares you”

“Well… yeah” I clicked my tongue in annoyance at myself. “I never had anything serious like this and… It’s not even that serious, but it’s getting there and…”

“Elizabeth…” Aurelio grinned fondly, making me feel kind of silly.

“I sound like an insecure little girl, don’t I? This is so stupid…”

“No, I get it. You have a lot on your plate already and you don’t want to fuck up what you have with John, because it’s the only good thing in your life right now” Aurelio chuckled to himself. “Besides my wonderful friendship, of course”

I huffed in outrage, especially when he smirked again at my reaction.

“What kind of bullshit is that? You fucking put it into words” I rolled my eyes and groaned in frustration. “ _I_ couldn’t even put it into words”

“That’s because I know you better than you know yourself, kid” To add to that cool line, he interestingly gave his cigarette a puff and exhaled the smoke.

“Don’t you fucking call me kid” I grinned, feeling better already.

“I would give him the talk about breaking your tiny little heart but…” Now he was being a bit too much. “I don’t think I should threaten John Wick like that”

“Shut up, you idiot” I was still halfway through my sentence when my phone beeped.

I took a look at it and saw a message from John.

‘Meet me at the Continental’ was all it said.

“Is it your dear boyfriend?” Aurelio asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck off” I accompanied my words by flipping him off. “I gotta go”

“Is all good?” He asked me, finally putting his cigarette off.

“Yeah, don’t worry” I went to hug him, and he hugged me back. “Thanks for everything, Aurelio”

“No problem” He gave me a genuine smile when we broke away. “Take care”

Feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders now that I had talked about my feelings and understood my emotions, I went to reunite with John.

However, I had an arising suspicion that the meeting wasn’t something ordinary.

 

 

John was patiently waiting outside the building, dressed in his jeans and leather jacket and with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. His eyes gleamed at the sight of me, but his expression remained grave.

“I’m here” I smiled in spite of myself when John received me with a kiss in the head. “What’s up?”

“I found something out that I think you should know” He pressed a hand to my back, signaling for me to begin walking.

“Something? About what?” We walked beside one another, but he wouldn’t meet my eyes.  

“You’ll see” John opened the door for me, so I stepped into the hotel.

We slowly advanced through the lobby, even if his silent demeanor was anguishing me. It was strange enough returning to that place, but the current situation made it feel surreal. Looking ahead, the distance that separated us from Charon seemed too much.

“Is it something bad?”

“No”

“It’s something good then?”

“No…”

John briefly locked eyes with me, but focused up ahead as we arrived to the counter at the reception. My stomach felt queasy with anticipation.

“Is the manager in?” He asked Charon, who looked from him to me.

“Yes, sir” The receptionist nodded, his eyes still fixed on me in a way I didn’t really understand. “He’s waiting for you in the roof”

“Thank you” That said, John took me by the hand and walked me to the elevator.

I gulped as we stood there until John pressed the button and the doors closed before our eyes. I assumed it was something I had to see for myself, but the secrecy of the matter was making me anxious.

“Your house is safe now, by the way” John gently squeezed my hand. “They shouldn’t bother you again. They definitely won’t be back”

“W-What do you mean they shouldn't be back?"

“I sent a message" Was all John said in response, his eyes focused on the numbers that displayed on the screen to showcase the current floor.

I had to hold on tighter to his hand for stability when I got slightly dizzy at what he might have done in my name.

“S-Sent a message?” I tugged at his hand to force him to look at me. "Or took care of it?"

His eyes landed on mine, portraying that soft look he had lately whenever he glanced at me. However, this time there was a hint of determination in them.

"Sent a message" He seriously replied, giving me an understanding look.

“Okay” I sighed in relief just as a little bell rang announcing we had arrived.

The elevator doors opened and we exited it together, still hand in hand.

I had never really been at the roof, and it was lovely. It was decorated with impeccable taste and attentive care, and the view from up high was marvelous.

Winston sat at the table that occupied the middle space, and he was sipping from a tea cup. He eyed us as we approached him, motioning for us to sit.

John and I moved in silence, taking a seat in front of him and politely waiting.

Winston opened a folder that rested over the table and pulled out a file, throwing it back on the table in front of me. I eyed it cautiously, feeling John’s gaze on me.

I gasped when I recognized the photo and the name on the front.

“What is this?” I held it up and waved it in Winston’s face. “And why do you want me to see this now?”

“It was John’s idea” Winston calmly gestured over to him. “He insisted that you should see it”

Knowing that John would have a good reason for it, I set the file back on the table and took my time looking at the picture and the name below it. It was a man with light eyes and dark brown hair. The words under it read ‘Thomas Dawson’.

“I wanted to know how he died” John said, although his voice seemed to come from far away as I passed the pages with trembling fingers. “So I asked Winston about it and he showed me this file”

“He was great at his job” Winston added. “But he got out when his daughter was born”

I felt my bottom lip trembling, so I swallowed the lump in my throat to avoid getting teary eyed in front of the two of them. I hid my emotions by fixing my eyes on the papers, even if the words were getting blurry.

“He…” I had to clear my throat when my voice sounded hoarse. “He retired for me”

“He did” John was fully aware of the impact my father’s past had on me.

“Then how did he die?” I rapidly turned the pages that recorded all his jobs to go to the very last one.

I never knew how he died either, but I had always assumed Gaige had something to do with it since he wouldn’t stop pestering me about that debt. Now, however, things didn’t seem that clear. Especially not with John’s careful demeanor, like he was almost afraid to tell me.

Their silence was deafening, so I looked up at them, not caring about my watery eyes anymore. Winston seemed calm still, but John was frowning.

“Was it a marker?” I guessed, staring at the latter and demanding an answer.

“No” He gravely said. “Someone killed him out of the blue”

“Apparently acting outside of Gaige’s orders too” Winston continued, tapping his finger over a specific spot on the papers. “Someone by that name”

I was suddenly glad that I was sitting down, because my knees would have refused to keep holding my weight when I read the name. My throat went dry.

“Simone Brasher” I read in a whisper, feeling my face draining from all blood.

“Do you know her?” There was alarm in John’s voice as he gingerly placed a hand on my shoulder.

I let out a sarcastic chuckle, focusing back on him.

“Remember when I went to your house, injured, and nearly died because of some ‘business gone wrong’?” He nodded slowly, frowning in concern. “That was her”

I noticed John and Winston exchanging a glance.

All my anxiety was now gone, replaced with burning anger and a thirst for revenge. That harpy would get what she deserved now.

I slammed the file closed and stood up, starting to walk away. I only looked at Winston briefly as a way to say goodbye before heading back for the elevator.

“Elizabeth!” John called out behind me, but I didn’t stop.

My intentions were to shut him off and leave, but he managed to get inside the elevator after I had pressed the button and right before the doors closed.

“Elizabeth, what are you doing?” He demanded to know, a dangerous look of warning present in his expression.

“What do you think?”

“You’re not going after her”

“Yes, I am”

“No, you’re not”

“Why did you tell me this anyway? What did you think would happen?”

“I didn’t know you knew her! I just wanted to help you, to make you see your father cared enough to retire!” He raised his voice a little, which resonated in the small space. “I only wanted to give you some peace of mind, not push you in this direction… I was trying to do something right”

“Well, you did something wrong” I noticed the exact moment my words impacted on him, as the shift was noticeable in his eyes. “You didn’t give me peace of mind”

John frowned and looked away, gritting his teeth. Then, after taking a deep breath, he continued speaking.

“You’re not going after her” Were his only words, still not establishing eye contact again.

“I’m sorry, John, but she has it coming” I wished he understood what that discovery implied, everything it had shaken up.

“That won’t bring your father back” His gruff voice sounded deeper than usual.

“You don’t understand! This isn’t only about my father” I absently watched the floor numbers go down. “That woman has been terrorizing me for years, and enjoying every second of it”

“Liz, don’t” John urgently grabbed me by the arm. “You’re better than that, remember?”

“I think I’m not” I shook my head, trying to get him to let go of me. “I’m done sitting still, she’s responsible for everything”

“You’re not a killer” John seemed rattled, and I could have sworn he was begging with his eyes. “You didn’t kill me”

“I… It’s my only way out of this” The doors opened and I took a step.

“It’s not” John held me back, tightening his grip on my arm.

“I need to do something” I knew it was the anger talking, which fueled my actions and made me feel capable of what used to be unthinkable.

“Think things through” He pleaded, that soft hint returning to his eyes.

“I already made up my mind” I strongly pulled at his hand, being freed from his grasp.

I felt his eyes burning in my nape as I walked the lobby, not bothering to say goodbye to Charon. I was determined, I was done being scared and fragile.

Being Elizabeth Dawson hadn’t worked out for me. I had spent years suffering, resigning myself to my fate. Thinking that my father had neglected me in favor of that life, that he didn’t care enough about me to give me a better life.

But now, knowing he was murdered in cold blood by that bitch Simone, I had a chance of setting things right. Of being in control of my own fate, of doing something. Maybe I needed to be more like John Wick. Maybe I needed to do what the Boogeyman would do.


	12. Chapter 12

That time I spent with John almost managed to make me forget about the real world, about the assassins and the debts and the danger. And then the nightmares found me again, not allowing me any more of a respite.

My footsteps were firm as I approached Gaige’s building, my determination being unshakeable as I told my heart to stop racing. Nonetheless, I gripped the gun in my hand so tightly that my fingers hurt.

I noticed a lack of noise as I stood before the door. The lights were on inside, but there was a very telling silence that caused my stomach to churn. I ignored all of this and adamantly swung the door open to reveal the office.

There where dozens of goons usually reunited, tending to their devious business, were now empty chairs and desks. Several bottles of alcohol were all over the place, opened and unfinished. The air felt heavy and eerie.

Daring to walk further and head for Gaige’s personal office, I found the door already open. There was no one in sight, not even Gaige himself. Treading lightly, I immersed myself in the room and took an attentive look around.

For the most part, everything seemed in its place. I looked at Gaige’s empty chair, noticing a blood stain that had soaked through the thick fabric. If he had been sitting there when he obtained that wound, it would have gone directly to his heart. I had a vague idea of what happened, and who did it.

Shaking my head to focus on the task ahead, I went through the drawers looking for a specific file. My eyes scanned the folders, absently recognizing familiar faces of goons I had run into thanks to Gaige. A tightness formed on my throat when I passed Delfino and Dominic’s files. But right after theirs, I found the headshot of a woman at the front of a folder.

I opened the file reading ‘Simone Brasher’ and skimmed for any important information that would tell me where she was hiding. A certain address caught my eye, so I memorized it and slammed the file closed.

As I made my way outside the building, I pulled out my phone and dialed John’s number. The mixture of emotions I was experiencing clouded my judgment, but I was lucid enough for that.

The line beeped for several seconds, until there was as click followed by a deep voice that I knew very well.

“Eli-?” Before he could even finish his sentence, I impatiently interrupted him.

“Why did you do it when I told you not to?” Every fiber of my being was overcome by anger, and I could not control myself. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. I felt powerful for once, and that sensation was intoxicating.

“Do what?” John’s tone was somewhat soft and innocent.

“You know what” I scoffed in annoyance. “I doubt Gaige and his people magically disappeared”

John sighed on the other end, taking several seconds before replying.

“Elizabeth, he went after me again” A pang of guilt initiated in my nape, but I repressed it before it could take over my mighty fury.  

“Interesting, our business clash again” I sarcastically replied, giving him a mocking smirk even if he couldn’t see it.

“This isn’t you…” John lowered his voice to a sad murmur. “Where… Where are you?”

“On my way to make some justice” When I reached my bike, I climbed on it again. “About time”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed!” He suddenly exclaimed in frustration. “And even if you don’t, you know this is wrong. You’re not like this!”

“Don’t look for me” Was all I said before hanging up, even if the slight guilt from before returned stronger.

I grunted in annoyance to myself as I grabbed on to the handlebars of my motorbike and started the engine. I had to do this.

Like I had told John, I needed to do something. I was done sitting still and taking all that abuse, being manipulated and frightened. Feeling small and unsafe. Acting like John Wick seemed the best way to do it.

 

 

As I put the bike to a halt I could see the docks. Not far from them was a small rundown warehouse. The windows were broken and the humidity had eaten through the wood that coated the outside. But I knew it was the place.

Wielding my gun again, I walked towards the warehouse. That was it, the point of no return. And I was willing to do whatever it took, to let whatever to happen. I just needed to act no matter what. It was something I _had_ to do.

The door was halfway open, and inside I found a figure facing its back to me. I recognized the expensive clothes and the blonde ponytail. She looked over her shoulder with the sound of my footsteps.

“You just can’t have enough, can you?” Simone stood up from her the big crate she was sitting in and turned to me. “You were really stupid to come here”

I frowned when I noticed her mascara had run over her cheeks, leaving dark traces along her skin. I was distracted from that detail when she took a step closer to me. Even if several meters still separated us, I grit my teeth and lifted my arm to point the gun at her. She didn’t even bat an eye at the movement.

“You’re gonna pay” She bitterly said, continuing her advance. “Your boyfriend killed my friends. And my boss”

“Maybe they shouldn’t have tried to kill _him_ ” I offered, tilting my head. “And maybe you shouldn’t have murdered my father in cold blood”

“He had unfinished business with Gaige when he retired” Simone smirked, portraying a mockingly friendly and innocent voice. “What kind of an example would that set?”

“He would have paid it” Winston himself had said it, my father was good at his job, he had plenty of money. “Gaige didn’t want him dead, dammit, he would have paid it”

“You see, I wasn’t so sure about that” Her condescending attitude was making my blood boil. “And sure enough, one day all records of his money were gone”

My bike. He bought me an expensive motorbike so I could be independent, and he left the rest of the money for me so I could make it on my own. He knew he was going to get killed.

Forcing myself out of my thoughts, I focused back on her and got startled when I realized how much closer she was to me now. I cocked the gun as a warning, but that didn’t hinder her advance towards me.

“And I’m going to kill you” When I piped up, she finally stopped walking.

“Very funny, _Lizzie_ ” Smirking still, she crossed her arms over her chest. “He used to call you that, you know. Wouldn’t stop talking about you, Lizzie this, Lizzie that”

Before I could stop myself, I had pulled the trigger and landed a bullet on her upper arm, putting a hole through her shiny jacket. She glared up at me in outrage after checking her new wound in disbelief.

I mockingly wrinkled my nose in response, glad of my impulsive act. I was going to kill her, but she was going to suffer first.

Determined, I took a step forward just for her to hinder my advance. Out of nowhere, she had pulled out a dagger and thrown it at me. I grunted when I felt the blade sinking in my shoulder, just above my collarbone.

I didn’t drop the gun, and in fact I tightened my grip on it. I felt out of myself as I took ahold of the dagger encrusted in my skin with my free hand and pulled it out, screaming in a sound that didn’t seem to come out of my own throat.

A fleeting thought told me that maybe pulling it out wasn’t the best idea, but it soon passed when it was replaced with a lack of any logical reasoning.

“This is for calling me a bitch” Watching Simone’s smirk only further fueled the liquid fire in my veins, and I once again moved without thinking about it twice. Barely stopping to look at the bloody dagger in my hand, I threw back at her with as much force as I could. It tore a yelp of pain from her lips as it sunk into her thigh.

Doing the same as I did, she sharply pulled the dagger out of her leg and wielded it fiercely. I raised my gun and pointed it at her as a warning. Neither of us moved at first, seizing each other up.

A little voice was shouting for me to shoot her already, but the gun felt extremely heavy in my hand. There were so many dazed thoughts rushing through my head that I couldn’t focus on one.

I wrapped my other hand around the butt of the gun to stabilize my aim, but Simone was already on the move. I pulled the trigger, but failed as I was rattled by the ferocity with which she ran to me. The bullet got lost in the distance and so I decided to stick to what I did best. Close range hand to hand combat.

"You never had the stomach for this" Simone smirked, ready to take me on.

I lunged at her, tackling Simone to the ground. We struggled for several seconds, landing punches on each other until I was suddenly pushed on my back and pinned against the ground. I tried wiggling out of her lock but found that she was too strong.  

I grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it at her face. Simone tried turning her head, but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid it getting into her eyes. I smirked at the thought that I had played dirty and momentarily blinded her.

Jumping to my feet, I took her from behind and put her in a lock of my own, cocking the gun and resting it against her temple. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and my heartbeat drummed against my ears. I watched Simone as she shut her eyes tight, cringing at what might happen next. A pang of guilt struck my chest as I found a twisted satisfaction at the sight.

“Drop the gun!” A voice said out of nowhere, forcing me to look upwards.

I gulped when I saw a group of six people surrounding me, all pointing weapons at me. That snake had called for backup. I didn’t know how or when, but she had.

Gritting my teeth, I held my hands up in surrender and let go of her. I bit the inside of my cheek to contain the anger I felt when I heard her scornful chuckle. I was tempted to shoot her still, even if it would definitely trigger my own death.

“Drop it” Simone held her hand up, smirking as her other hand motioned over to the people threatening my life to get closer.

I begrudgingly gave her my gun, which she took with a mocking head nod. At least I felt a slight pride at the fact that she considered me enough of a threat now to call for backup. Even if it was through John’s influence.

“Any last words?” She said, lifting the gun up to my head.

I still felt out of breath, like I had run a marathon. But my hatred for her was so great that I refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing I was frightened.

“You’re still a bitch” I bitterly said, earning a glare from her.

"Shoot her" Was her response to my defiance.

I closed my eyes, prepared for death. After all, I had always known it was the only way out of that mess. I had merely postponed it, but I had always believed it was my destiny, that my fate was sealed to meet a violent end. At least I had found some good things on the way to my demise.

“I wouldn’t do that” My heart skipped a beat when I recognized that gruff voice.

Opening my eyes, I saw John approaching us, machine gun in hand ready to fire. The men and women working with Simone hesitated. I calmly lowered my arms back to my sides at the sight of him approaching.

“Lower your weapons” He said, a calm yet clear order.

They didn’t even wait for Simone’s approval, all of them instantly obeyed the Boogeyman’s order. The tension was tangible in the air as all the present at the moment eyed each other.

“Elizabeth” John called, startling me slightly for directly addressing me. “Go”

“But-“

“I’ll handle this”

“John…”

“Go!”

I recognized the dangerous look in his dark eyes and decided to oblige. I didn’t want him solving my business, but I knew he could easily take them all.

It was my chance to fix that mistake, to forgive about that quest for revenge before it was too late. Although I realized it was already too late when Simone, wanting to punish me for my audacity with the attempt on her life, followed after me.

“Shit shit, fuck” I muttered, taking my other gun and running at top speed.

As I let my legs do their job, I focused on my shaky hands to make sure that the magazine was charged and then shoved it back on its chamber.  

Hoping I would outrun Simone, I rummaged through my brain in search of a safe place I could go to. My train of thought was interrupted when I heard gunshots, so I looked over my shoulder without stopping my dash.

John had resorted to his Boogeyman ways again as he easily took the six of them at once. He even allowed himself the distraction of blindly shooting Simone to slow her down and give me an advantage. The blonde screamed when the bullet reached her leg, but she continued her pursue on me.

I focused up ahead again, taking advantage of her small pause to recover from the wound and running for my life.

 

 

The Continental was the safest and closest place I could think of, so I barged inside and hurried for the elevator without even saying hello to Charon.

Simone was far behind me, but I was pretty sure that she had seen the direction I was taking and assumed where I was headed. It was a matter of time before she reached me, so I hoped I would at least lose her on the many floors of the hotel building. I didn’t exactly trust her not to break the rules.

I ran to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. The anxiety was building up in my chest as I knew that every millisecond was immensely valuable. Once it arrived, I quickly opened the grills door, but before I could come in, someone grabbed me from behind.

I screamed as a hand tugged at me and grimaced when my back hit the ground. The sight of Simone looking absolutely feral took my breath away, or maybe how hard I landed.

“Excuse me!” I heard Charon’s voice exclaim, probably alarmed by my screaming.

Simone grunted in annoyance and carelessly threw me inside the open elevator, following closely behind and pressing a button so the doors would close.

Charon was arriving just as the grill that served as doors closed. I stared at him from the ground, bearing a begging expression that I hoped he would understand. My anxiety intensified when I saw his familiar face disappear as the elevator went up.

While she was distracted with him, I jumped to my feet and pushed her against the metallic door. Before she could turn around, I punched her in the kidney.

Right after, she did turn around –at an incredible speed –and crossed my face with her fist. I stumbled backwards, causing the elevator to shake but luckily not stop. The last thing I needed was to be stuck in an elevator with Simone.

I reached out with my hand to stabilize myself as it touched the wall and leaned against it, holding my jaw in pain. She was already prepared to retaliate, so I kneed her under the chin. As I lunged at her to try and attack, she quickly held me in a lock.

I was pushed against the wall, then she held my head by the hair and slammed it against the fluorescents. She repeated the process until I painfully felt it break against my forehead, as well as some blood dripping from the cut.

Not content with this, Simone continued smashing my head against the now broken lights. Although I felt slightly faint and my ears were ringing, probably because of a mild concussion, I gathered the strength to hold my hands against the wall to try and offer some resistance to her blows.

Just then, the elevator stopped moving and the doors opened. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction from her side, I pushed her against the corner and stumbled outside of the elevator.

I swore under my breath when I realized we were in a floor filled with locked rooms. I was trapped.

The corridor was absolutely deserted, only a room service cart parked against a wall. Simone casually walked over to it, watching it with curiosity, as she pulled out the gun she had taken from me.

Feeling the skin in my face tight and wet because of the blood that was drying out, I grimaced at her. She was far too calm, and she didn’t seem upset at all that we were now in sacred ground. In fact, she showed me a smug smirk.

“You know the rules” I reminded her, my eyes never leaving her as she lifted the top off a silver tray from the cart.

She ignored me as she eyed the untouched food and shook her head a little. Then her eyes focused on the bottle that contained a dark liquid.

“I’m so thirsty” She muttered, taking the time to pour some of the alcohol in a glass and sniff it.

“Put the gun down” I insisted, watching how she carelessly waved it around while pretending to point at the food. “There are rules here”

Simone took a sip of the drink and smirked at me again, lowering her gun but not dropping it. It felt like she was teasing me, torturing me as much as she could.

“Glad we settled it” She grinned in amusement. “Killing your father wasn’t a big deal anyway”

The helplessness that had engulfed me faded away with her words. It was then when I remember that I still had a gun. I wouldn’t hesitate.

“Say that again, you bitch” I muttered through grit teeth, glaring daggers at her.  

She then lifted her arm, gun still in hand. Simone furrowed her brow in determination and I acted on instinct. I startled myself as I wielded my gun and pulled the trigger.

I watched in awe, the bullet hole pouring blood in her forehead.

Like it had burned me, I dropped the weapon to the ground and looked for something to hold on to. My knees felt weak as she fell limply on the ground. Her body landed with a thud. She wouldn’t get up again.

I let out a strangled scream as I realized what I had done. A commotion started out around me, since the gunshot had attracted attention.

Falling to my knees, I covered my mouth to try and conceal the loud sobs that escaped it, but to no avail. Tears tainted my vision as my eyes fixed on the motionless body of Simone.

There was no turning back now, and that peace I hoped to experience after Simone was dead was nowhere to be found. I only felt sick. I couldn’t breathe.

I had killed her. I had broken the Continental rules. I had behaved like a bloodthirsty assassin, like that very thing I refused to become. Like the thing I resented my father for being. Like the thing I feared John Wick for being.

And now I had become my own worst nightmare. I had broken my own rule.

Everything dimmed around me, the voices and sounds of alarm. Doors swinging open and footsteps. It all became faint and distant.

I felt disgusting as I knelt there, having no consolation other than bawling my eyes out and whimpering in a pathetic manner. There was no solace for me now.

“Liz!” Someone approached me, dropping to their knees and obstructing my field of vision. I hadn’t noticed my eyes were still on Simone, I was too numb to realize or look away. “Liz! What happened?”

I couldn’t respond, I couldn’t answer the question. All I could do was continue crying, wishing I hadn’t pulled the trigger. Silent tears streamed down my face as the shock lingered.

“What have you done?” The voice insisted, taking me by the shoulders.

“I-I’m sorry…” I choked out, reaching out to touch them as my foggy brain finally registered who I was talking to. “I’m so s-s-sorry…”

“It’s okay, I’m here” Cradling my head against his chest, he sheltered me in his embrace. “It’s alright now”

“No, I k-killed her” Came my strangled voice. “She was gonna shoot me and I…”

“I know” He rocked me slightly, protectively wrapping his arms around me as his hand lingered against my head, keeping it close to his chest.

“I’m sorry, John”

“I know…”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done! Hope you all like these last chapters as well, I had a lot of fun writing them and love the result :)

Nothing seemed to make sense as we left the Continental. My brain felt numb as it made an effort to register what was happening around me. All I knew was that I was suddenly some other place. I blacked out completely. It was hard to focus, but I hardly recognized John’s house.

I hadn’t made a sound. I didn’t oppose as he took me with him. I struggled to stand even with his arm around me. I didn’t flinch when he began treating my wounds. I barely registered the panicked expression on his brown eyes. My entire body felt so numb that I only assumed where my wounds were thanks to John’s delicate cares when treating them.

He sighed, gingerly brushing the hair off my eyes, and squeezed my upper arm. His touch and closeness seemed to help grounding me back on reality. The more I looked at him and noticed the intensity in his glance, the less detached I felt.

“I…” His eyes immediately moved to lock with mine when I piped up. “I’m sorry”

“You did it in self defense” He just said, carefully pressing a cut in my forehead with the antiseptic drenched cotton. “I get it”

“I was so… scared” The frantic nature of my previous close calls was nothing compared to the absolute ferocity in Simone’s eyes, her determination to kill me. Her anger. _My_ anger. “I…”

“Liz, it’s okay” John interrupted me, tenderly holding on to my face to continue his cares when I looked away.

“N-No! No, it’s not okay. It’s not, I did something terrible, even to someone like her” I gulped, wringing my hands thinking about the future. “There will be consequences”

“Not while I’m here”

“John, I don’t want you to-“

“We’re here to protect each other”

“But I don’t-“

John cupped my cheek, sending me an even more intense glance than before.

“Don’t feel guilty, she was no innocent” His thumb brushed against my skin when he paused. “And you acted on self defense. You’re better than what that guilt is telling you”

I blinked away my tears and nodded, understanding that what he was trying to tell me was important. It didn’t help make me feel better, but the fact that he was willing to protect me even from myself made me feel safer. The fact that he still defended me had to mean something.

John nodded too, leaning closer to leave a small kiss on my forehead. I shuddered at the contact, heaving a sigh that seemed to light part of the weight from my shoulders.

Just then I grew aware of Buddy’s chin resting on my knee. I wondered how long the dog had been there for, and brought up a shaky hand to pet his head.

I then jumped in alarm when there was a sudden knock on the door.

Now freezing at the sound, I made eye contact with John. We both wondered who it could be, but said nothing. Being rational, I knew that after Gaige, Simone, Delfino, Dominic and pretty much everyone being dead, there was no one else related to the subject that could want to exert revenge on me. But that wasn’t my biggest concern.

Seemingly calm, John slowly let go of me and looked over his shoulder. He then reached out for the bedside table, where his weapon was, and picked it up.

As soon as he took one step, I held him back.

“No, don’t go” I felt myself shaking, just thinking about him opening the door only to receive a bullet between the eyes.

John seemed to consider it, looking from my hand grabbing his arm back to my face. When the person outside knocked again, he sighed in what I recognized as determination.

“Stay here” John whispered, but I shook my head even as I fought back tears.

“I’m coming with you” I stood up, although my knees were extremely shaky.

I didn’t let go of his arm as we both stood there in silence for a second.

John just sighed as he headed for the door, me following closely and holding on to the back of his jacket. We stopped before the front door, watching the silhouette of a man through the semi opaque glass. Then John opened it to reveal Winston, standing there with the gravest expression I had ever seen him compose.

“Jonathan” He nodded in his direction, then turning to me. “Elizabeth”

“I am not turning her in” John said before Winston could even address it.

“She broke the rules, Jonathan” The latter replied, calmly placing his hands behind his back.

“If she hadn’t done it, that woman would have killed her” John still defended me, his voice low but powerful.

Winston briefly glanced over to me, being shielded behind John’s tall stature, before responding.

“And then Simone would have faced the consequences” Winston simply said. “But it was Elizabeth who shot first”

“I don’t care” John roughly said, visibly tensing up.

“I still have to pronounce her excommunicado” Winston pulled out his phone to back his statement. “And you can’t help her, no services”

There was a tense silence in which they stared at each other, seizing the other up. I tried to speak up, but John noticed and took hold of my wrist without even glancing at me. His silent gesture was enough for me to remain quiet.

Winston leaned his phone against his ear and gave the order, not breaking eye contact with John. Still, there was no defiance in his glance, only resignation.

“It’s done” He said, saving his phone back on his pocket. “Take a piece of advice: don’t get involved”

“I’m not losing her too” Was John’s only response before he shut the door on Winston’s face.

“John” I exclaimed, my mind being too frantic to entirely wrap my head around what was happening. “If you help me, they’ll kill you too”

“They can try” Still holding on to my wrist, he took me with him as he walked further into the house again.

“We need to go, r-right?” I shook my head, trying to put my thoughts into order. “I-I mean, after my house, this will be the first place they’ll check”

“Yes” John held his hands on my hips. “Go and grab all that you can, I have to gather some things too”

I frowned, analyzing his expression. There was no regret whatsoever, only love and determination. It moved me profoundly, but also troubled me.

To urge me, John pushed me a little bit in the direction I was supposed to take. I obliged, although begrudgingly, and returned to his room. I stopped at the entrance, watching the bag with my belongings. I walked towards it and took my guns out of it, holding them in my hands and intently watching them.

I reached out so the tattoo in my forearm was visible under the sleeve. I heaved a sigh, letting the reminder to infuse me with the courage I needed. I told myself that the reason why I had retaliated other times was because I would not sit still, but fight back. And even if death was imminent, I wouldn’t go without a fight.

I walked down the stairs to the hall where I reunited with John, who was carrying a shotgun. He looked at me, his eyes halting on the weapons in my hands.

“Fate may be sealed” I only told him. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t fight against it”

John stared at me for a moment, and there was a spark in his eyes as the corners of his lips curved up.

 

 

Outside it was pouring with rain, and the noise of the busy streets confused itself with the heavy pitter patter of the water falling.

It felt like we had been holding our breath ever since we left John’s house. Every car that was too close could be the enemy. Every person that glanced at us could have intentions of hurting us. The paranoia only seemed to slightly die down when we sheltered ourselves into the museum. We walked further into it, side by side. I touched my thighs again, checking that the guns and extra magazines were still there, secure in my pockets. Then I moved my hands up to my nape to secure my soaked hair into a braid.

“We can’t stay here forever” I muttered, watching how John carefully eyed every corner we passed. “We’re not all that safe here anyway. What are we gonna do?”

“Stay alive” He replied, stopping before me just as I finished holding my hair up.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Something like that”

“Is the plan improvising?”

John gave me a look, smiling ever so slightly, but didn’t reply. I challenged him with my own gaze but he still said nothing. A few seconds of silence followed.

“The plan is to protect you” To reinforce his words, John took me by the hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

“Well, mine is to protect _you_ ” I grinned, squeezing back. “Guess we’re even”

John properly grinned in return as his thumb caressed the back of my hand. Then he softly let go of it, stepping back to recognize the area.

While I let him do it, I tiredly watched the sights of the museum. I felt bad for not having visited it when I could. Before, I had Gaige after me, but now it was basically the whole city of New York. And I had dragged John into it too.

All my wild fantasies of the things I could do if I were free from this world inevitably returned to me. All the things I had missed out on because of the path my life had been destined to follow. All the things I could have done if only I had a normal life.

I noticed a globe not far from me, so I feebly spun it and watched where it stopped. I imagined myself in that uncharted city, indulging in the luxury of letting my mind wander in that precarious moment.

John’s footsteps brought me back to reality. He returned, shotgun still in hand, and gave me a comforting nod. His eyes briefly paused on the globe before returning to me.

I bit my lip as I realized that we were only prolonging an inevitable fate. I was still going to fight until my last breath, but someone would eventually best us. There was no escape from this situation. Not even John Wick could escape death forever.

“Don’t worry” John must have seen my struggle, because he walked closer to me and lovingly held me by the chin. “We’ll be okay”

I opened my mouth, about to reply and reluctantly agree with him to keep my hopes up, when something caught my attention. John’s shoulders tensed up too, as he spied behind him with the corner of his eye.

Moving on an instinct, John pushed me away and quickly turned around to face the people that had entered the building looking for us.

With the force he pushed me with, I fell on my ass. Still, I sat up quickly and picked up my weapons, ready to jump to my feet and back him up. However, by the time I was on my feet, gunshots had already been fired and there were two bodies on the floor now.

Breathing heavily, I exchanged a glance with John before he averted his gaze to reload his weapon. I avoided looking back to the dead pair of people and walked away from them instead.

“We’re not safe here anymore” John muttered, and I knew he was right.

“Next time let me help” I muttered, holding my guns up. “We’re doing this together, remember?”

John smiled just a little and nodded in agreement. He held his hand out, which I didn’t hesitate to take. And together, we exited the building to face our fate. Together.

 

 

My loud panting was muffled by the heavy sound of raining. My hair and clothes were drenched and the only think keeping me from freezing to death was the fact that I couldn’t stop running.

They had found us, and this time it wasn’t just two people. It was a group of at least ten, and they were too athletic to outrun them. Risking losing some speed, I slightly turned to them and shot my gun over my shoulder, managing to hit three of them even in movement. John, running beside me, completely turned around to unload the fury of his shotgun on them, getting rid of four. Unlike the three I shot, these didn’t get back up.

Not wanting to leave him behind and alone, I accommodated my pace with his while waiting for him to catch up. However, John took me by the arm.

I stared at him as I kept track of our pursuers with the corner of my eye. The raindrops that accumulated on John’s wet hair slid down to his cheeks as the curtain of hair was now sticking to his skin.

“Run, I’ll catch up” He said, tightly holding on to my forearm, right over the layers that separated his hand from my tattoo.

“What happened to together?”

“I don’t want to lose you, Liz”

“I don’t want to lose you either, John!”

My heart started speeding up when we silently stared into each other’s eyes. The sound of the rain seemed louder than ever before. There was a certain and electric urgency in the air.

“I love you” John finally broke the silence, causing my heart to jump inside my chest. I had been denying myself the luxury of admitting my own emotions, but there was no lying anymore. Not to me, not to him.

“I love you too” Knowing this could very well be our last kiss, I threw myself to him and smashed my lips against his.

His free hand –the one not holding the shotgun –wrapped around me and desperately pushed me even closer against him. My eyes closed as we deepened the kiss and my arms fell around his neck, bringing him closer myself.

The exchange must have lasted only a few seconds, but time stood still. In that moment all I could fathom was him, my love for him, his love for me. In that moment, everything was alright because we had each other. Because we were together. For only a couple of seconds I forgot we were being chased by people who wanted to kill us on sight. There was no imminent death, no danger, no hurry. Only John’s loving and protective embrace.

I frowned when he broke away and began firing his shotgun. I myself lifted my guns up and prepared to shoot too, seeing as they were already firing. One of their bullets reached me in the leg, causing me to stumble and struggle to maintain balance. John was quick to react, though, and wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me up. That didn’t stop us from retaliating.

Still holding on to me, John fired his shotgun and swung me around when he needed to move. I rapidly aimed and fired, reminding myself that this was life or death and it was far more effective to shoot at the head or chest instead of just incapacitating them.

“I’m okay” I muttered, trying not to pay attention to the burning pain in my leg.

Immediately responding to the statement, John let go of me and began reloading his weapon. I stood before him and covered him while he did it.

“I got you” I assured, shooting left and right before they closed the distance between us or their bullets reached us.

Many faceless goons fell, but I missed one of them with my aim and he looked adamant to finish the job. I quickly turned to John when the other lifted his gun. Cocking the shotgun for him when I realized he was done reloading, I then pushed John out of the way just as the goon fired at us. His arm was already reaching to move _me_ out of the way, but too late. I breathed out when we successfully avoided the bullet directed at us.

John didn’t even think twice, he stood up just as fast he fell –not without acknowledging me by tapping my arm –and took care of that one. I faced the remaining five goons or so, who had been previously injured by my gun.

I created some more distance between them and me and swore under my breath when I ran out of bullets. I didn’t have time to reload while they also carried pistols, so I threw the empty gun at one of them and ran towards them.

John had my back, eliminating some of the others, while I took care of two. One tried to shoot me, but I was too close for that and took ahold of his wrist. I rolled onto the ground, still holding on to him to throw him so he landed with me. Once both of us were on the ground, I kicked the gun away and elbowed him in the face, which resulted in a bloody nose.

Just as I separated myself from him, a distant bullet reached his forehead. Assuming it was John’s, I moved on to the other goon. I took my belt off and wrapped it around his neck as this one carried a knife instead. I tightened my hold on his throat, but he broke away by cutting the belt with his knife. I stumbled with the sharp movement, but remembering I had one of my own, I sank my blade on his neck until he stopped struggling.

I turned to the sound of gunfire just as it stopped. My heart continued to race in my chest, and my lungs begged for more oxygen after the physical strain. The rain still surrounded me, continually falling onto my head and drenching me even more than I already was. Part of me hoped the water washed away all the blood and the reminder of the violence, but I pushed that thought away.

I ran closer to the jumble of bodies on the ground, trying to recognize if anyone was moving. I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted a familiar figure lying face down on the floor, motionless. I was out of breath, my brain frantically working trying to comprehend what my eyes were seeing. What my heart refused to believe, that the bloody person lying in the ground was indeed John Wick.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, aaaaaaah! Sorry about the cliffhanger :P First of all, thank you so much to everyone that stick with the story and gave it kudos, commented and everything. Lastly, I would love some feedback to see what you all thought about the ending. That said, enjoy this last chapter! :D

It wasn’t possible. John couldn’t be dead, not after all we had been through. Not after everything we had overcome together. I refused to believe that the carnage had claimed him too. Especially since it was my fault.

“No, no, no…” I kneeled down next to the suited person, and my eyes travelled up and down his figure.

I stretched out my hands, which shook as they hovered over the body. I didn’t want to turn him around and confirm my worst fear. Even if I was fooling myself thinking there was some possibility that it wasn’t him. I held him by the shoulder and pulled, turning him on his back and immediately feeling tears well up in my eyes. To eliminate any doubts, I looked at his face. It was him alright. His dark hair stuck to his face because of the rain. Water drops fell from the sky and onto his eyelids, which remained closed. His white dress shirt was almost entirely red now, soaked with blood.

“John, you stubborn son of a bitch” I sobbed, holding him by the jacket and shaking him. “I thought you were better than that…”

Holding on to my last hope, I leaned my ear close to his parted lips. He wasn’t breathing.

“You aren’t invincible…” I told him as though he could hear me. “Stupid! What were you thinking?!”

His face became blurry with the tears that covered my eyes. I tightly held on to the fabric of his jacket, shaking him once more, albeit weakly. I sharply inhaled, experiencing a heavy pain in my heart. I preferred bullet and stab wounds over that, a thousand times. It wouldn’t be as painful.

My trembling fingers moved to his neck, gently pressing against his skin. I found no pulse.

I was suddenly overcome with an irrational rage and determination that put an end to my pathetic whimpering and shaking. My hands felt firm as I moved them to my belt and took my gun from its holster.

“Those motherfuckers are gonna pay” I cocked the weapon as my eyes scanned the area. “I don’t care if I-“

Something suddenly wrapped around my wrist, yanking at it. I muffled a scream against my palm and looked down to John. Now I could see his dark brown eyes, watching me intently. I gaped at him, stuttering over my words in sheer disbelief.

“You’re supposed to check for a pulse…” He paused to catch his breath, also softening his grip on my wrist. “Before you proclaim someone dead”

“I did, you asshole!” I violently tore my arm away from his reach. “You didn’t _have_ a pulse!!”

John laughed a bit, even if his eyes were half-way closed, filled with exhaustion.

“Then it worked” With a heavy grunt, he sat up and took a few deep breaths before locking eyes with me again.

“What worked?”

“My plan”

“Your plan to give me a fucking heart attack?!”

“My plan to fake my death and escape”

I gawked at him as the news sank in. Clearly, his only way out of that mess was for him to die. Thinking about it, it was pretty brilliant to fake his own death. They wouldn’t go after him again if they thought the job was done.

“And why the fucking didn’t you tell me?”

“No offence, Liz” Slowly, and using me as a support, he gathered himself up. “But you would have given me away”

I opened my mouth to complain, until I realized that he was right. Not intentionally, of course, but I would have foiled his plan. If I believed he was dead, so would they. John knew me well.

“It was still a shitty move, Jonathan” I averted my gaze, suddenly growing very aware of the tears that still stained my cheeks, and subtly wiping them.

“I know” He chuckled, probably at the appellative, and placed a hand on the side of my face. “I’m sorry… I thought I could try the Elizabeth Dawson way instead of the John Wick way”

I paused, trying to let my brain grasp the meaning of those words. I smiled in spite of myself when I understood what he meant. He wasn’t going to kill everyone until the end of time, until either the world forfeited or we did. He was willing to try a different approach, one that _I_ would take.

When he straightened up to his full height, I had to look up to meet with his eyes. The familiarity of his movements as he gingerly brushed his thumb against my cheek to wipe the remnants of my tears ironically caused more to cascade down my eyes.

“Holy shit, I’m… s-so glad you’re alive” I threw myself to hug him, burying my face in his chest.

“Me too” John wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head. “Now we can be free”

“Together” I completed for him, slightly pulling away to look at him again.

There was a hint of a smile in his lips, that I stood on my tiptoes to kiss. His armed pulled me up, leaning me against him, to save the height difference and save me any effort.

“I didn’t want to scare you, I’m really sorry…” John cupped my cheek, brushing a few tufts of wet hair away from my face. The warmth of his touch helped ground me and shield me from the cold that was starting to take over me.

I chuckled in spite of myself, on my way to calming down once I realized everything was okay. We still had to take care of all of our wounds, and hopefully sleep for a week. But we were alive. We were both alive.

"You're not gonna get all mushy on me, are you?" I held on to the laps of his jacket, standing on my tiptoes to be at eye level with him even if his other arm still wrapped around me.

"I might" John grinned, that beautiful smile returning after so long being hidden. That sweet, genuine smile.

We kissed again, this time without having to worry about being shot or killed in the spot. For that very reason, the exchange deepened so much that I was out of breath, clinging to his clothes as I craved the comfort and passion he offered. His hands were on my back, pushing me impossibly closer as he needed even more of me.

We broke away, in desperate need of oxygen, and looked into each other’s eyes. His forehead moved to rest against mine while he urgently squeezed me against him. I leaned on him, feeling weak on the knees. The exhaustion of past days washed over me at all once, so I clung on to him and closed my eyes. It was the first time I felt entirely safe in... ever.

“The message has been sent that I am dead” John turned serious for a moment as we slightly distanced from each other. “So they’ll assume you are too”

“Are we free then?” I said between ragged breaths, not letting go of him, but craning my neck to look into his eyes. His glance kept drifting to my lips.

“Not yet, now we need to go where no one knows us” There was his smile again, now slightly more timid than before, but just as genuine. “Somewhere safe”

“And how will we get there?” I rested my hands over his chest, not minding the blood and water soaked fabric of his shirt. I probably didn't present a better appearance myself.

“I have plane tickets” John pulled them out from the inside pocket of his jacket, holding them up just long enough so I could see them without them getting ruined in the downpour. I worried for a moment, but noticed a fake name written in them.

I couldn’t contain a chuckle of pure bliss as I inched closer to gently kiss him again. John smiled against my lips, blindly reaching for my wrist and sliding his hand down until it wrapped around mine. His touch, loving and lingering, was like a silent promise that everything would be okay.

"How did you even do it?" I muttered, my mind boiling with thoughts, as I gently pulled away. "You really seemed... dead..." 

"I've learned a thing or two" He cupped my cheek and patiently looked into my eyes. 

"But..." Growing impatient, John stole a kiss from me, which I gladly allowed.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk on the plane" He paused to say, desperately connecting his lips with mine again.

I let myself melt into his touch, deliciously shivering when his fingers sunk into my wet hair and his mouth hungrily devoured mine. I felt a warm tear roll down my cheek as we continued kissing. A tear of relief, of catharsis, of just... happiness. I threw my arms around his neck, clinging to him like I was afraid this moment would end, that he would dissapear. But he didn't, he felt more solid than ever. It was almost too good to be true, but it _was_ true. It really was. It was real: for the first time, everything was alright.

We only pulled away when we were gasping for air once more. Our eyes immediately connected, and twin smiles appeared on our faces. I took a deep breath as we began walking, hand in hand, leaving our past behind. Returning home one last time to find a new one. With him. I peacefully exhaled as my mind slowly started to assimilate the fact that it was finally over. My heart skipped a beat at the thought that I had finally escaped that terrible life and could have an honest opportunity at a normal life. A life away from New York. A life away from pain. A happy life with John Wick by my side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Thank you again so much everyone for reading! It's been amazing to see how much people are enjoying it and I'm super happy about it. I really liked writing this story and it's honestly so special seeing people experience that same excitment. Remember to leave kudos and comment with your opinions and toughts if you liked this story! ❤


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